Chatham House: Myths & Misconceptions - Russia and the West
Date: June 3rd, 2021 at 15:00 CET / 09:00 EDT Platform: Cisco Webex Events
Link to Video Recording
Link to Report
Abstract
Western policy towards Russia often reflects flawed assessments, with potentially serious consequences for international security. Two key baseline assumptions provide a framework for many of these assessments:
- Russia is not in conflict with the West
- Russia and the West want the same thing
This event examined the fundamentally irreconcilable differences between the West and Russia’s values and interests that make long-term, cooperative relations unlikely. Discussion covered how the adversarial nature of Russian foreign policy does not lend itself to cooperation, leaving Moscow in indefinite confrontation with the West. It explored how this is realized through unconventional hostile measures, such as undisguised electronic warfare, subversion, or assassination, that avoid conflict but are far beyond normal peacetime activity.
Agenda
- Presentations:
* Russia and The West Want the Same Thing - Keir Giles, Chatham House * Russia is not in a Conflict with the West - Mathieu Boulegue, Chatham House
- Moderated Discussion
- Question & Answer Session
Biographies
Keir Giles
Title: Senior Consulting Fellow Affiliation: Russia-Eurasia Programme, Chatham House
Keir Giles is a Senior Consulting Fellow at Chatham House’s Russia-Eurasia Programme. He leads the Conflict Studies Research Centre, specializing in Eurasian security. His professional experience includes reporting on political and economic affairs in the former Soviet Union for the BBC Monitoring Service and working on Russian business law with Ernst & Young.
Mathieu Boulegue
Title: Research Fellow Affiliation: Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House
Mathieu Boulegue is a Research Fellow at Chatham House, specializing in Eurasian security and defense issues, as well as Russia’s domestic and foreign policy. He regularly publishes articles and papers on post-Soviet affairs and is a frequent speaker at international conferences. He holds an M.A. in International Conflict Studies from King’s College London.