Expert Bio

F. Joseph Dresen is a senior program associate at the Woodrow Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, where he is responsible for development issues, editing the Institute’s Kennan Cable series, and managing the Kennan Conversation program that brings Kennan experts to cities across the United States. He has edited and co-edited Institute publications on issues ranging from Russian energy, human rights, and rule of law issues. He has been interviewed on economic and policy issues on Voice of America and Voice of Russia.

Prior to working at the Wilson Center, Joe was the principal administrative assistant from 1993-95 for the International Soros Science Education Program, which directed individual grants to educators and students in the hard sciences across Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Georgia. He has a master’s degree from George Mason University and an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University.

Major Publications

• “Russians Tune Out Vladimir Putin,” The Hill,  (September 13, 2019)
• “The Unraveling of Vladimir Putin,” The Hill, (September 4, 2019)
• “Sanctions Emerge as the Indispensable Tool of American Statecraft,” Kennan Cable No. 9 (2015)
• “Interests vs. Values Is the Wrong Prism for Viewing the Reset with Russia,” Huffington Post (July 2012).
• “Separation of Powers in Russia and Ukraine: A Comparative Perspective,” co-editor with William E. Pomeranz (conference proceedings); Kennan Institute Occasional Paper Series #306, 2011.
• “The Legacy and Consequences of Jackson-Vanik: Reassessing Human Rights in 21st Century Russia,” co-editor with William E. Pomeranz (conference proceedings); Kennan Institute Occasional Paper Series #305, 2011.
• “The Russian Constitution at Fifteen: Assessments and Current Challenges to Russia's Legal Development,” co-editor with William E. Pomeranz (conference proceedings); Kennan Institute Occasional Paper Series #304, 2010. 
• "Reflections on George F. Kennan: Scholar and Policymaker," editor (conference proceedings), Kennan Institute Occasional Paper Series #300 (Woodrow Wilson Center, 2008)
• "Religion in Russian Society: State Policy, Regional Challenges, and Individual Rights," editor (conference proceedings), Kennan Institute Occasional Paper Series #298 (Woodrow Wilson Center, 2008)
• "Russia in Asia—Asia in Russia: Energy, Economics, and Regional Relations," editor (conference proceedings), Kennan Institute Occasional Paper Series #292 (Woodrow Wilson Center, 2005)
• "How Important Was Soviet Nuclear Spying in the United States to the Soviet Nuclear Weapons Program?" History in Dispute: The Cold War, First Series, vol. 1 (St. James Press, 1999)
• "Policy, Politicians, and Economic Development in Russia's Regions," co-author with Blair Ruble, WEFA Eurasia Economic Outlook, May 1997