Through the Looking Glass at Russia

SEPTEMBER 8 – UNDERSTANDING PUTIN’S RUSSIA
In his opening lecture of this series, Robert Moser will discuss Vladimir Putin, a relative unknown in 1999 and now the unrivaled central figure of Russian politics. Putin’s presidency has brought a measure of stability but has also increased centralization of power and diminished democratic freedoms. This lecture will compare Putin’s presidency to that of his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin.

SEPTEMBER 15 – U.S. – RUSSIAN RELATIONS: IS RUSSIA A FRIEND OR FOE?
This lecture will put the seemingly schizophrenic nature of U.S.–Russian relations since 9/11 into the broader context of the post–Cold War international system.

SEPTEMBER 22 – RUSSIA’S WAR IN CHECHNYA
Russia’s difficult and costly war with the breakaway republic of Chechnya will be examined in this lecture, which will explore the roots of the conflict, the problems and prospects for long-term resolution, and the war’s impact on Russian democracy.

SEPTEMBER 29—THE FUTURE OF RUSSIA: RENEWAL OR DECAY?
Chronic decline in the 1990s suggested that Russia might break apart and become, in the words of one commentator, “Zaire with permafrost.” Yet now, there is hope of renewal. This lecture will analyze the changes and prospects for Russia’s future.

Robert Moser is an associate professor of government at the University of Texas, Austin. He is author of Unexpected Outcomes: Electoral Systems, Political Parties and Representation in Russia, and co-editor of Russian Politics: Challenges of Democratization. In 2002, Professor Moser won the President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Award.