Joint Kennesaw State and Georgia Tech symposium highlights Russia’s relations with U.S.

KENNESAW, Ga. | Mar 7, 2017

Atlanta Council on International Affairs joins in presenting two-day forum

Year of Russia

As part of its “Year of Russia” annual country study, Kennesaw State University is partnering with Georgia Institute of Technology and the Atlanta Council on International Affairs to present an interdisciplinary symposium examining Russia’s relations with the U.S. and the rest of the world. The symposium includes a daylong forum on KSU’s Kennesaw Campus March 16 and at Georgia Tech on March 17.

What:

The “U.S.- Russia Relations in Global Context International Symposium” is designed to promote increased understanding and offer new perspectives on the future of global relations with Russia.

Conference session topics include:

  • The Legacy of the Cold War
  • Russia and the U.S. in an Emerging Multipolar World
  • NATO and European Perspectives on Russia
  • Russia and the Middle East
  • Global Fight Against Terrorism
  • Arms Control and Weapons Proliferation
  • Global Warming, Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability
  • The Role of Business and Government Policy in Joint Problem-Solving

Bridging the two days of the symposium will be a performance of Anton Chekhov’s “,” March 16 at 8 p.m. at Kennesaw State’s Stillwell Theater. Click to see full agenda. is required.

Who:

Leading experts on Russian politics, economics, history and culture will speak and lead discussions. Among those featured:

At Kennesaw State

  • Andrei P. Tsygankov, professor of political science and international relations at San Francisco State University, whose best-known works in the West include: “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).” In Russia, he is noted for “Modern Political Regimes (1996)”; and two volumes he co-edited with Pavel Tsygankov — “Russian Science of International Relations (2005)” and “Sociology of International Relations (2006)” — and for his book titled “International Relations: Traditions of Russian Political Thought (2013).”
  • 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 as head of a mission to Moldova, where he was charged with negotiating a political settlement to the Transdniestrian conflict and facilitating the withdrawal of Russian forces, arms, and ammunition from Moldova.
  • Victoria Smolkin, assistant professor of Russian history at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., is a former research fellow at the Kennan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C., where she worked on a forthcoming monograph titled “A Sacred Space Is Never Empty: The Spiritual Life of Soviet Atheism.”

At Georgia Tech

  • General Phillip Breedlove recently joined the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech after retiring as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Europe and U.S. European Command Commander. In these capacities, he commanded all U.S. and Allied troops in Afghanistan, Kosovo, as well as all NATO operations across Europe and the Mediterranean.

When and Where:

  • Thursday, March 16, 8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. at KSU Center, 3333 Busbee Drive, Kennesaw, Ga. 30144
  • Friday, March 17, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Georgia Tech’s Wardlaw Center, 177 North Avenue, NW, Atlanta, Ga. 30332

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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 7 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 ɫɫ. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.