7 February 2017
February 6th, MGIMO hosted a conference on the Prospects of Russian-US relations in a new political context, organized by MGIMO’s Department of Applied International Analysis, the Russian analytical agency «Foreign Policy» and the Centre for the National Interest (USA). The event also gathered representatives of IMEMO, the Institute of Europe, the Higher School of Economics, the ASEAN Center and the Valdai Club.
In his welcome address, MGIMO’s Vice-Rector for Graduate and International Programs, Andrey Baykov, underlined the importance of inter-university contacts and communication between academic communities to improve bilateral relations and overall to stabilize world politics. The Director of the Centre for the National Interest Paul Saunders noted in his opening remarks that both in the United States and Russia there is hope for the normalization of relations between the two countries. He confirmed that the new administration is ready to cooperate with Russia so long as mutually advantageous deals can be struck.
The Head of the agency «Foreign Policy», also Associate Professor at MGIMO Andrey Sushentsov reviewed the opportunities that the new political context in America open up for bilateral relations, all the while noting the structural problems which are likely to persist. The Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, Dmitry Suslov analysed the aspects of Russian domestic policy, which can impact US-Russian relations.
The Senior Editor at the «Federalist», Mollie Hemingway remarked that so far the new American president is working on fulfilling his campaign promises, in spite of the virulent opposition he faces from the media, bureaucracy and the courts. The Professor of the United States Naval Academy Nikolas Gvosdev noted that there are in the new US administration many different takes on how the Ukrainian question affects Russian-American relations.
The Center for the National Interest is one of the most influential think tanks in the United States, which supports moderate Republican positions.
— See the MGIMO web-site for more photos and russian version
