Amb. Michael McFaul (Stanford University)
(25 February 2017). Ambassador Michael McFaul is the featured speaker in this year’s Walter Roberts Lecture, where the former U.S. envoy to Moscow will discuss, “Explaining Our New Cold War with Russia: Can Trump End It?” The event takes place on Friday, 3 March at 10:00 am, on the George Washington University campus.
U.S.-Russia relations have reached one of their lowest points since the end of the Cold War. Russia’s intervention in Ukraine and Syria, public distrust, evidence of Russian interference in the U.S. election, and sanctions imposed by both sides all signal a growing rift in bilateral relations. This talk examines potential explanations for recent tensions, considers the implications of deteriorating relations, and analyzes potential changes in U.S. policy towards Russia under the Trump administration.
Amb. McFaul is professor of political science, and director and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at the Hoover Institution, affiliated with Stanford University. He served for five years in the Obama administration, first as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council at the White House (2009-2012), and then as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation (2012-2014). Dr. McFaul authored several books, including Advancing Democracy Abroad: Why We Should, How We Can and, with Kathryn Stoner, Transitions To Democracy: A Comparative Perspective.
Since 2011, the Walter Roberts Endowment has hosted an annual lecture with a prominent and distinguished foreign policy figure at GWU. Free and open to the public, the lecture provides a platform for students, faculty, and public diplomacy practitioners to hear different perspectives on issues related to public diplomacy and foreign policy.
The lecture is held on Friday, 3 March 2017, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, at the Jack Morton Auditorium in GWU’s School of Media and Public Affairs, 805 21st Street. in Washington, D.C. (Metro: Foggy Bottom or Farragut West). The event is free but advance registration is required. The event is presented sponsored by the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication at GWU and the Atlantic Council.
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