PONARS Eurasia Annual Policy Conference
Thursday, September 12
“China’s Rise in Eurasia” | CSIS, 1616 Rhode Island Ave, NW | Link: CSIS Information
1:30-3:30 pm: Seminar I: The China Factor in Eurasia
Hilary Appel, Claremont McKenna College, Elizabeth Wishnick, Montclair State University, Stephen Kaplan, George Washington University, Jeffrey Mankoff, CSIS, and Jonathan Hillman, CSIS.
3:15-4:45: Seminar II: China’s Growing Role in Central Asia and the South Caucasus
Eric McGlinchey, George Mason University, Sebastien Peyrouse, George Washington University, Anar Valiyev, ADA University, Baku, Henry Hale, George Washington University, and Mariya Omelicheva, National Defense University.
Friday, September 13
Agenda | GW Elliott School, 1957 E St, NW
9:00 am: Opening Remarks and Breakfast
9:15-10:45 am Panel 1: Russia’s Soft/Sharp Power and the West
Location: Lindner Commons, Room 602
Chair: Marlene Laruelle, George Washington University
Kimberly Marten, Barnard College, Columbia University
“Russ-Afrique? Russia, France, and the Central African Republic”
Şener Aktürk, Koç University, Istanbul
“Five Faces of Russian Soft Power: Far Left, Far Right, Orthodox Christian, Russophone, and Ethnoreligious Networks”
Mikhail Troitskiy, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO)
“The Limits of Statecraft: Comparing U.S. and Russian Views on the Achievable in Foreign Policy”
Discussant: Ambassador Eric Rubin, American Foreign Service Association
10:45-11:15 am: Coffee Break
11:15-12:45 pm: Panel 2: The West and the War in Eastern Ukraine
Location: Lindner Commons, Room 602
Chair: Henry Hale, George Washington University
Volodymyr Dubovyk, Odesa Mechnikov National University
“Ukraine and the US: A Partnership in Action”
Tetyana Malyarenko, Odesa Law Academy
“Connecting Human Rights and Conflict Resolution in Eastern Ukraine”
Volodymyr Kulyk, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
“Western Scholarship on the Conflict in the Donbas and Beyond: Naming, Framing, Implications”
Mariya Omelicheva, National Defense University
“Washington’s Security Assistance to Kyiv: Improving Long-Term Returns on Military Investments in Ukraine”
Discussant: Alina Polyakova, Brookings Institution
12:45-1:45 pm Lunch
1:45-3:15 pm: Panel 3A: Great Power Politics and Economics in Greater Central Asia
(Breakout Session) Location: Lindner Commons, Room 602
Chair: Eric McGlinchey, George Mason University
Nargis Kassenova, KIMEP University (Kazakhstan); Harvard University
“The EU Connectivity Strategy and Central Asia: Connect or Disconnect?”
Vladimir Popov, Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute (DOC) (Berlin)
“Go East or Go West? Geographical Structure of Trade in Central Asia”
Ekaterina Stepanova, Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO)
“Russia and the Afghan Peace Process”
Discussant: Pavel Baev, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
1:45-3:15 pm: Panel 3B: Confronting the Challenge(s) of Russia’s Cross-Domain Coercion: Insights from a 3D Architecture of Analyses
(Breakout Session) Location: Room B12
Chair: Kimberly Marten, Barnard College, Columbia University
Stephan De Spiegeleiere, Hague Centre for Strategic Studies
“Mapping and Contending with Russia’s Assertiveness”
Dima Adamsky, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (Israel)
“The Role of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow’s Syrian Campaign”
Nikolai Sokov, Vienna Center for Disarmament and Nonproliferation
“The Elusive Russian Nuclear Threshold”
Adam Stulberg, Georgia Tech
“Russia’s Response to Sanctions: Reciprocal, Asymmetrical, or Orthogonal?”
Discussant: Andrew Barnes, Kent State University
3:15-3:45 pm: Coffee Break
3:45-5:15 pm: Panel 4A: Arms Control and Statecraft
(Breakout Session) Location: Lindner Commons, Room 602
Chair: Şener Aktürk, Koç University, Istanbul
Samuel Charap, RAND Corporation
“Contemporary Russian Approaches to Deterrence”
Mark Kramer, Harvard University
“Nuclear Test Bans and U.S.-Russian Relations”
Polina Sinovets, Odesa Mechnikov National University
“Escalation for De-Escalation? Hazy Nuclear-Weapon ‘Red Lines’ Generate Russian Advantages”
Pavel Baev, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
“Befriending the White Whale: How to Neutralize Russia’s Military Build-Up in the Arctic”
Discussant: Adam Stulberg, Georgia Tech
3:45-5:15 pm: Panel 4B: Russia and Central/Eastern Europe
(Breakout Session) Location: Room B12
Chair: Volodymyr Dubovyk, Odesa Mechnikov National University
Arkady Moshes, Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA)
“All Quiet in Russian-Belarusian Relations”
Andrey Makarychev, University of Tartu, Estonia
“Estonia’s Russophones: Between Two Populisms”
Alexandra Yatsyk, Polish Institute of Advanced Studies
“Russia as a Boogeyman: The Case of Political Wars in Poland”
Mikhail Alexseev, San Diego State University
“Through Europe’s Gate or Into Russia’s Net: Does Visa Free Travel to the EU Offset Russia’s Media Influence in Ukraine?”
Discussant: William Hill, National War College
Contact: adminponars@gwu.edu
