US-Russia Update

The Trump presidency has introduced a new dynamic in US-Russia relations. Having served as President Putin’s Director for the USA-WesternRegional Fund for Presidential Programs in Moscow, Professor Vladimir Kuznetsov will draw on his extensive knowledge of Russian politics in this US-Russia update.

Professor Vladimir Kuznetsov worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and holds the title of Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Professor Kuznetsov served as the Consul General of the Russian Federation in San Francisco from 1993 to 1997. As the elected former Governor of Primorskii Krai, he instituted administrative reform based on democratic principles and values. Professor Kuznetsov was a Senior Research Fellow for the Institute of the World Economy and International Relations for the Academy of Sciences of the former USSR. He is an author of a number of books and articles on international economic cooperation.

Professor Michael Wesley has published on Australian foreign policy, Asia’s international relations and strategic affairs, and the Politics of statebuilding interventions. His book, There Goes the Neighbourhood: Australia and the Rise of Asia (2011), was awarded the John Button Prize for the best writing on Australian politics and public policy. Previously, Professor Wesley was Director of the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at ANU, Executive Director of the Lowy Institute for International Policy, Director of the Griffith Asia Institute at Griffith University, and Assistant Director General for Transnational Issues at the Office of National Assessments.