THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS AT
RUSSIA
FOUR MONDAYS, NOON – 1:30 P.M.
SEPTEMBER 8, 15, 22 AND 29
THE MENIL COLLECTION, 1515 SUL ROSS
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.
