2022 World Affairs Council of the Year
Network of Independent World Affairs Councils of America

Author Preview – “Getting Russia Right”

February 5 @ 11:15 am - 1:00 pm
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PRESENTS

 

Wednesday, February 5th I 11:15am – 1:00pm

at

Bobby Hotel – 230 4th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219

Can President Trump End the Russia-Ukraine War?
Three years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a brutal war against Ukraine. What
he thought would be a blitzkrieg has turned into a bloody war of attrition, pitting Russia against a
The West actively backs Ukraine. Why did Putin choose war? What national interests did he
believe were at stake, and what personal ambitions drove him? Why did he believe Russia
could achieve a quick victory? How and why did he miscalculate Ukrainian resilience, Western
resolve, and Russian might?

Today, President Donald Trump wants to resolve this conflict within six months. How can he
persuade Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate seriously? What might
be the outlines of an enduring settlement? At a moment when Putin believes he is making
steady progress toward his goal of subjugating Ukraine, can Trump craft a peace deal that
secures Ukraine as a sovereign state, deters Russia from further aggression, and burnishes his
reputation as a statesman and peacemaker?

*Following the event, all attendees will receive a free copy of his book Getting Russia Right

Parking:

Valet parking will be available on-site. The cost is $15 for 2 hours.

Special Needs, Accommodations, and Event Questions:

We strive to be open and inclusive with our events. Please contact us at either [email protected] or at (309) 550-0782 if you need any accommodations, special requests, or have additional event-related questions.

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Speaker:

Thomas E. Graham is a distinguished fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. His book, Getting Russia Right, was published in September, 2023. He is a cofounder of Yale University’s Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies program and sits on its faculty steering committee. He is also a research scholar at Yale’s MacMillan Center. He has been a lecturer in global affairs and political science since 2011, teaching courses on U.S.-Russian relations and Russian foreign policy, as well as cybersecurity and counterterrorism. Graham was special assistant to the president and senior director for Russia on the National Security Council staff from 2004 to 2007, during which he managed a White House-Kremlin strategic dialogue. He was director for Russian affairs on the staff from 2002 to 2004.

Graham served as an advisor to Kissinger Associates from 2008 to 2021. He was a Foreign Service officer for fourteen years. His assignments included two tours of duty at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow in the late Soviet period and in the middle of the 1990s, during which he served as head of the political internal unit and acting political counselor. Between tours in Moscow, he worked on Russian and Soviet affairs on the policy planning staff at the U.S. Department of State and as a policy assistant in the office of the undersecretary of defense for policy.

Graham serves on the advisory board of Russia Matters, a project of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs with the goal of enhancing the understanding of Russia among policymakers and the interested public. Graham holds a BA in Russian studies from Yale University and an MA in history and a PhD in political science from Harvard University.

Moderator:

 

Breck Walker pursued a twenty years’ career international business, law, and finance,
before turning to academia. For several years, he taught foreign policy courses at
Sewanee, The University of the South, and worked as a contract historian for the Office
of the Secretary of Defense Historical Office, researching and writing on early Pentagon
policies in the computer security and cyber areas. Dr. Walker is currently retired.

 

 



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Details

Date:
February 5
Time:
11:15 am - 1:00 pm
Event Category:

Organizer

Tennessee World Affairs Council (TNWAC.org)

Venue

Bobby Hotel
230 4th Ave N
Nashville, 37219 United States
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