The first meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club working group on the future of Russian-U.S. relations organized by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, Russia’s Council for Foreign and Defense Policy and the Russian News and Information Agency RIA Novosti was held on May 20-21, 2010, at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian studies, Harvard university
Council on foreign and defense policy, Moscow
The first meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club working group on the future of Russian-U.S. relations organized by the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, Russia’s Council for Foreign and Defense Policy and the Russian News and Information Agency RIA Novosti was held on May 20-21, 2010, at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
Participants in the meeting included leading experts and academics from Russian and U.S. analytical centers and other institutions, who outlined the strategy of the bilateral relations and the framework of the Russian-American dialogue in the nearest future. The main issues discussed were the first results of the “reset” policy, the potential for expanding economic ties, cooperation on security issues and high technology development. The experts also formulated new issues for the agenda of the Russian-American relations on the eve of the Russian President’s visit to the United States.
Most of the political analysts and experts on international relations on both sides represented the young generation. However, the discussion was led by prominent and internationally recognized scholars, including Timothy Colton, Director of the Davis Center at Harvard University and Sergei Karaganov, Deputy Director of the Institute of Europe at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Dean of the Department of World Economy and World Politics at the State University – Higher School of Economics and Chairman of the Presidium of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy.
PROGRAM
Thursday, May 20
1:30–2:00 PM
Introductions
2:00–6:00 PM
Discussion of selected global issues
- 2:00: “The Rise of China.” Briefing by William Kirby, T. M. Chang Professor of
China Studies and History; Spangler Family Professor of Business
Administration, Harvard Business School; Director of Fairbank Center for
Chinese Studies
- 3:00: “Climate Change.” Briefing by James McCarthy, Alexander Agassiz
Professor of Biological Oceanography; past president of American Academy of
Arts and Sciences
- 4:00: “The Challenge of Global Health.” Briefing by Joia Mukherjee, Medical
Director of NGO Partners In Health; Associate Professor in Division of Global
Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
- 5:00: “Europe after the Greece Crisis.” Briefing by Karl Kaiser, Director of
Program on Transatlantic Relations, Weatherhead Center; Adjunct Professor of
Public Policy, Kennedy School of Government; past director of German Council
on Foreign Relations
6:30–7:15 PM
Reception
7:15–10:00 PM
Dinner, with remarks (off the record) by Michael McFaul, Special Assistant to the
President of the United States and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs,
National Security Council
Friday, May 21
8:30–9:00 AM
Light breakfast
9:00 AM–12:00 NOON
Discussion in the working group on question, “What the ‘Reset’ Experience Teaches Us
about the Relationship between Russia and the United States.” Each member is asked to
speak for about five minutes, which will be followed by an exchange of views.
12:30–2:00 PM
Lunch
2:00–5:00 PM
Discussion of the group’s future activities:
- Organization
- Specific topics
- Participants
- Written component
PARTICIPATING MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP
Rawi Abdelal
Joseph C. Wilson
Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Pavel Andreev
Head of International Projects, RIA Novosti
Timofei Bordachev
Director of Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, State
University Higher School of Economics, Moscow
Cynthia Buckley
Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Texas; program director at Social
Science Research Council as of July 1, 2010
Samuel Charap
Associate Director for Russia and Eurasia and member of the National Security and
International Policy team, Center for American Progress
Timothy Colton
Professor of Government, Harvard University; Director, Davis Center
Keith Darden
Associate Professor of Political Science, Yale University
Alexei Fenenko
Senior Researcher, Institute for International Security Studies, Russian Academy of
Sciences
Henry Hale
Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, Elliott School of
International Affairs, George Washington University; Director, Institute for European,
Russian and Eurasian Studies Elliott School
Yoshiko Herrera
Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sergei Karaganov
Dean of the School of International Economics and Foreign Affairs, State University
Higher School of Economics, Moscow; Chairman, Council on Foreign and Defense
Policy
Andrei Kortunov
President, New Eurasia Foundation, Moscow
Fedor Lukyanov
Editor, Russia in Global Affairs magazine, Moscow
Jason Lyall
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Political Science, Yale University;
Associate Professor of Political Science, Yale, as of July 1, 2010
Alexei Pilko
Professor of History, Moscow State University
Randall Stone
Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Rochester; Director, Skalny
Center for Polish and Central European Studies and Peter D. Watson Center for Conflict
and Cooperation, University of Rochester
Dmitry Suslov
Researcher, Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences; Deputy Director of
Research Programs, Council on Foreign and Defense Policy
Monica Toft
Associate Professor of Public Policy, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard
University; Director, Initiative in Religion on International Affairs, Kennedy School
Alexandra Vacroux
Senior Scholar, Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center; Executive Director of Davis
Center as of July 1, 2010
GUESTS
Deana Arsenian
Vice President, International Programs, Carnegie Corporation of New York
Jack Cogan
President, Pioneer Family of Mutual Funds
Marshall Goldman
Senior Scholar, Davis Center; Kathryn Wasserman Davis Professor of Economics
(Emeritus), Wellesley College
Karl Kaiser
Director, Program on Transatlantic Relations, Weatherhead Center for International
Affairs, Harvard University; Adjunct Professor of Public Policy, Kennedy School of
Government; past Director of German Council on Foreign Relations
William Kirby
T. M. Chang Professor of China Studies, Harvard University; Spangler Family Professor
of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; Director, Fairbank Center for
Chinese Studies
James McCarthy
Alexander Agassiz Professor of Biological Oceanography, Harvard University; past
president of American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Michael McFaul
Special Assistant to the President of the United States; Senior Director for Russian and
Eurasian Affairs, National Security Council
Terry Martin
George F. Baker III Professor of Russian History, Harvard University; Acting Director,
Davis Center; Director of Davis Center as of July 1, 2010
Joia Mukherjee
Medical Director, Partners In Health, Boston; Associate Professor in Division of Global
Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Lisbeth Tarlow
Associate Director, Davis Center
