August 31st, 2020 at 1430CEST/0830ESTvia Cisco Webex Events
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Format: The panelist will present for 20 minutes followed by 20 minutes of Q&A
Agenda
1430-1450CEST/0830-0850EST: Presentation on Etched in Stone: Russian Strategic Culture and the Future of Transatlantic Security
Abstract: Russian strategic culture is a product of Russian geography, history, and elite worldview. Consequently, Europe is by far the most important strategic theater for Russia. Because of the new geography of the NATO-Russia standoff, the demise of the Cold War security architecture, and the emergence of new military technologies, Russia is facing an unprecedented array of security challenges, largely of its own making, reminiscent of the INF crisis of the early 1980s, only worse. It is a situation that the Kremlin cannot reconcile itself to, or that can be resolved with traditional arms control and confidence-building approaches, likely leading to more East-West tensions.
1450-1510CEST/0850-0910EST: Presentation on Stuck on Auto-Pilot?: Russia’s Relations With Germany, France, and the UK in the Age of Coronavirus
Abstract: Widespread expectations that fallout from the pandemic would somehow force the Kremlin to come around and mend its ways have turned out to be an exercise in wishful thinking. If anything, Russia’s stances on key issues in relations with Germany, France, and the UK appear to be hardening. Yet there are few indications, if any, that such tactics are actually paying off for Moscow, which suggests that Russia’s approach toward core Europe may be losing its strategic focus and long-term potency.
1510-1530CEST/0910-0930EST: Question & Answer Session
Director and Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Eugene Rumer is a senior fellow and the director of Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program.
Prior to joining Carnegie, Rumer was the national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the U.S. National Intelligence Council from 2010 to 2014. Earlier, he held research appointments at the National Defense University, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the RAND Corporation. He has also served on the National Security Council staff and at the State Department, taught at Georgetown University and the George Washington University, and published widely.
James Family Chair, Vice President for Studies
Andrew S. Weiss is the James Family Chair and vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he oversees research in Washington and Moscow on Russia and Eurasia.
Prior to joining Carnegie, he was director of the RAND Corporation’s Center for Russia and Eurasia and executive director of the RAND Business Leaders Forum. He previously served as director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs on the National Security Council staff, as a member of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, and as a policy assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy during the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush.
Presentation Reference Papers
Etched in Stone: Russian Strategic Culture and the Future of Transatlantic Security
Abstract: A discussion on Russian strategic culture normally consists of three parts: (1) its history of wars, (2) Russia’s expansive geography, and (3) the Russian elite or security establishment. Our partners at Carnegie Endowment have taken these three elements and added more building blocks, reflecting on the role of technology (particularly with weapons systems); the collapse of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) and Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaties; and NATO’s pivot from a Cold War mindset to a 360 degree approach to security. The paper culminates with a view on strategic stability and a potential, informal approach for both Russia and the U.S. to manage their strategic nuclear relationship in the face of a strategic mindset that is unlikely to see any radical changes in the near term.
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