Russia's Return to the World Stage

Syria's civil war, Russia has rebuilt its status as a force to be reckoned with among its neighbors and it has slowly edged out the United States as a power broker in the Middle East. Its place on the world stage is also increasingly evident, with the hosting of the Winter Olympics in 2014 and the World Cup in 2018.
How has Russia managed to play a weak hand so effectively? How has Putin capitalized on the United States’ growing ambivalence towards its role as a global superpower? Is Putin a brilliant strategist or a talented tactician? What is Russia’s relationship to other key global powers like China and Japan? Angela Stent, former national intelligence officer and current director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian, East European Studies at Georgetown, explores Russia’s complicated global position and these questions in her new book, “Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and with the Rest.”
Join Stent for a conversation on the country’s turbulent past, how it has influenced Putin (and vice versa), the Russians' understanding of their position on the global stage and their future ambitions, as well as their conviction that Western countries have tried to limit the country's power since the fall of the USSR.
The author will sign books at the end of the program. A limited number will be available for purchase at the event.
SPEAKER:
Angela StentDirector, Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies, Georgetown University