U.S. - Russia Relations in Global Context International Symposium

March 16-17, 2017
Kennesaw State University
Georgia Institute of Technology

Co-Sponsored by
Kennesaw State University, 
The Georgia Institute of Technology, and
The Atlanta Council on International Affairs

Symposium Description

In conjunction with KSU’s Year of Russia Program, the primary focus of this interdisciplinary symposium is to examine Russia’s international relations in order to promote increased understanding of today’s complex, interdependent world. Due to the storied history of U.S. - Russia relations over the last century - epitomized by the Cold War era, an often adversarial period resulting in numerous third world proxy wars - there is great need for new perspectives that work to identify areas for collaboration in joint problem-solving efforts.

Conference sessions address the following key topics:

• The Legacy of the Cold War
• Russia and the U.S. in an Emerging Multipolar World
• NATO and European Perspectives on Russia
• Russia and its Near Abroad
• EurAsEC, CSTO, SCO, & BRICS: Alternatives to Rejoining the West
• Russia and the Middle East
• Global Fight Against Terrorism
• Arms Control and Weapons Proliferation Issues
• Ethnicity, Diversity, Identity, Mobility, and Migration
• Demographic Trends in the Post-Soviet Space
• Resource Governance including Food, Water and Energy Security
• Global Warming, Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability
• The Role of Business and Government Policy in Joint Problem-Solving (Privatization and Regulation)
• Collaborative Efforts in Education, Science and Technology
• Public Health, Pandemics, Humanitarian Response, and Emergency Preparedness
• Media Arts and Diplomacy

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Conference Agenda

Download the full conference program

 

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Featured Presenters

Andrei P. Tsygankov is Professor at the departments of Political Science and International Relations at San Francisco State University. He teaches Russian/post-Soviet, comparative, and international politics since August 2000. A Russian native, Tsygankov is a graduate of Moscow State University (Candidate of Sciences, 1991) and University of Southern California (Ph.D., 2000).

Tsygankov is a contributor to both Western and Russian academia. In the West, he co-edited collective projects, and he published National Identity and Foreign Economic Policy in the Post-Soviet World (2001), Russia's Perception of American Ideas after the Cold War (2004), Anti-Russian Lobby and American Foreign Policy (2009), and Russia and the West from Alexander to Putin (2012), as well as many journal articles. Tsygankov also published well-received textbook Russia’s Foreign Policy (2006, the second edition, 2010, the third edition, 2013). In Russia, his best known books are Modern Political Regimes (1996), Russian Science of International Relations (2005, co-edited with Pavel Tsygankov, also published in Germany and China), Sociology of International Relations (2006, co-authored with Pavel Tsygankov, also published in China), and International Relations: Traditions of Russian Political Thought (2013).

Tsygankov spoke at various forums at Berkeley, Stanford, World Affairs Council, and other venues in the Bay Area and outside, and he contributed to Asia Times, Los Angeles Times, Moscow Times, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Voice of Russia, and other media publications. Tsygankov consulted various publishers and state agencies, and he served as Program Chair of International Studies Association (ISA), 2006-07. ISA has well over three thousand members in North America and around the world and is the largest scholarly association in this field.

 

William Hill, Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College is a retired foreign service officer and an expert on Russia and the former Soviet Union, east-west relations, and European multilateral diplomacy. He served two terms – January 2003-July 2006 and June 1999-November 2001 – as Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova, where he was charged with negotiation of a political settlement to the Transdniestrian conflict and facilitation of the withdrawal of Russian forces, arms, and ammunition from Moldova. During his foreign service career Dr. Hill has served in Moscow, Leningrad, Belgrade, the U.S. CSCE delegation in Vienna, and Dhaka. He is a former Public Policy Scholar at the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute and is a Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College in Washington DC.

 

Victoria Smolkin is Assistant Professor of Russian History at Wesleyan University (Middletown, Connecticut). Her book, titled A Sacred Space Is Never Empty: A History of Soviet Atheism, is forthcoming with Princeton University Press in 2018.  Her work has been supported by the Shelby Cullom Davis Center for Historical Studies Fellowship at Princeton University, the Social Science Research Council Eurasia Post-Doctoral Research Award, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation Newcombe Dissertation Fellowship in Religion and Ethics, and the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship, among others. She is currently working on a book on the religious factor in the Cold War, titled The Crusade Against Godlessness: Religion, Communism, and the Cold War. In 2014-2015, she was a Research Scholar at the Kennan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C.

 

General “Phil” Breedlove recently joined the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech after retiring as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe and the US European Command Commander. In these capacities, he commanded all US and Allied troops in Afghanistan, Kosovo as well as all NATO operations across Europe and the Mediterranean. During his career, he was responsible for Air Forces activities, in an area of operations covering more than 19 million square miles and 105 countries. As a Distinguished Professor, he works with faculty, staff and students on security issues and policy, further he facilitates a number of projects, classes and presentations to advance these same thoughts. General Breedlove brings a wealth of both deep and recent experience in our world’s toughest security and policy issues as well as leadership in situations spanning both peace and conflict.

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Registration

The registration deadline was 11:59 pm on Friday, March 10th.

Registration prices listed below include the following:

• Admission to the sessions
• All meals and coffee breaks
• Transportation from Residence Inn to conference venues
• Tickets to performance of The Three Sisters at the Bailey Performance Center

Note: Students can attend symposium sessions at no cost, unless the session includes a meal. To participate in sessions with meals, students must also register and pay. 

Also, anyone who wishes to attend the performance of The Three Sisters but does not intend to register for the conference can get tickets from College of the Arts.

• Registration Type
  Price
• Faculty/Staff/Community Members
  $85
• Graduate & Undergraduate Students
  $50

  

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Directions & Parking

Thursday, March 16th

Friday, March 17th

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Hotel Information

Symposium attendees are encouraged to stay at Fairfield Inn & Suites Atlanta Kennesaw. In addition to receiving complimentary shuttle service between the hotel and conference venues, attendees will receive a discounted rate of $99 per night.

While the conference has negotiated rates for Fairfield Inn as well as SpringHill Suites, attendees are encouraged to book at Fairfield Inn if possible. Use SpringHill Suites only if Fairfield Inn has no available rooms.

Click here to reserve your room

Click here for more information about Fairfield Inn and Suites.

Symposium participants are encouraged to use airport shuttle company Econorides to get from the airport to the Residence Inn. Click here for details about Econorides. 

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Questions

If you have any questions about the International Symposium, please contact Dr. Dan Paracka at dparacka@kennesaw.edu or 470-578-6732.