US-Russia Strategic Competition

The Russia Challenge

Once thought to have been on the path to becoming a democratic capitalist state, Russia remains a preeminent global challenge to the United States. Every American president in recent decades has entered office committed to resetting relations with Russia only for the relationship to become more acrimonious. Today, relations may be at their lowest point in nearly four decades. Thirty years after the end of the Cold War and two decades into Vladimir Putin's reign, Washington seems to have finally realized that the Russian challenge is enduring. Over the course of the seminar, fellows will gain an understanding of the Russian challenge to the U.S. and Russia's objectives, strengths, and weaknesses. Fellows will learn about the history of U.S.-Russian relations, the nature of the Russian political regime, the role of oil, Russian military and nuclear doctrine and developments, and the current status of relations.

Program details

Each seminar will meet on the same designated day of the week from 6:00pm-8:30pm. Fellows will be responsible for around 50 pages of reading for each session and will be required to write two short essays over the course of the program. All four tracks will convene together for the first and last sessions. Over the course of the program, fellows will also have the opportunity to take part in a crisis simulation, to attend the annual Writing Workshop Conference, and to be published in the SSS journal, Security and Strategy.