The third installment of the Global Pulse Discussion Series examines how the personal beliefs and motives of Vladimir Putin have defined Russia's often tumultuous relationship with the West.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin has been in power for 15 years, and there is no end in sight. This discussion will attempt not to conclusively answer the question of Putin’s beliefs and motivations, but will rather attempt to lay out a framework for thinking about the different explanations that are out there, and how they shape Russian foreign policy and diplomacy. In a famous speech in 2005, the Russian leader stated that the collapse of the USSR had been the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century. Is Russian foreign policy - from the annexation of Crimea to bilateral ties to Syria's Assad - simply the byproduct of Putin's long-term goal of creating a "greater Russia?" 

Featuring:

Dr. Daniel Treisman, Professor, Department of Political Science, UCLA

Dr. Treisman received his bachelors from Oxford and his Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University. His work focuses on the politics and political economy of Russia, and on comparative political economy. Dr. Treisman frequently publishes articles in leading political and economic magazines. Read more.

Moderator:

Amb. Derek Shearer, Stuart Chevalier Professor of Diplomacy and World Affairs & Director of the McKinnon Center for Global Affairs, Occidental College

Ambassador Shearer served in the Clinton administration as an economics official in the Commerce Department, and then as Ambassador to Finland (1994-97). Among his many accomplishments were the creation of the administrations coordinated strategy to the Nordic-Baltic region and the hosting of the Clinton-Yeltsin summit in Helsinki. Read more.