Timothy Colton on Political Succession in Russia

Timothy Colton is a leading expert on Russian and Eurasian government and politics. He teaches at Harvard University, where he is the Morris and Anna Feldberg Professor of Government and Russian Studies, and formerly served as director of the university's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. Dr. Colton is also a fellow of the prestigious American Academy for Arts and Sciences. You can find more of Dr. Colton’s views on Russia in our “Competing Views” series.

I do remember that since the Valdai meeting occurs once a year, and you’re here for a whole week talking to people, I remember the Valdai meeting in 2013. So, Putin is already back, and there’d been a political tightening of the screws a little bit here, but relations with the West at that point seemed to be at a moment of easing. But it was before the Ukraine crisis. We met in the Valdai Club in October 2013.

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