Wilson Quarterly Spring 2024 Edition: Understanding Russia

At a time when the US is arguably facing the most challenging times with Russia since the end of the Cold War, the Wilson Quarterly dedicates its spring 2024 edition to US-Russia relations as part of the Kennan Institute’s 50th anniversary year. Hitting the virtual newsstands more than two years into Russia’s war with Ukraine, this special issue draws upon the Kennan Institute’s deep bench of experts to shed light on US-Russia relations, Russia’s anti-democratic tactics at home and abroad, the far-reaching impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war—including human migration, energy security—and more.  

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"With contributors drawn from the Kennan Institute's deep bench of regional and topic-specific experts, this issue is not only a testament to the Institute's remarkable half century of scholarship, it is a collection that will ground the reader in what is currently at stake in US-Russia relations, and help to shape smart policy solutions for the future," said Stephanie Bowen, editor of the Wilson Quarterly.  

Wilson Center President and CEO, Ambassador Mark A. Green elaborates on the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war and the need for insightful analyses in his foreword to the issue. “Marking 50 years as America’s leading institution for research and scholarship on Russia and the former Soviet Union is a remarkable achievement,” Ambassador Green says. “Reaching this milestone against the backdrop of open warfare between Russia and Ukraine—warfare with significant impacts in the immediate region and every corner of the world—demonstrates that the Kennan Institute’s work has never been more important.”  

Cofounded in 1974 as a joint initiative of former US Ambassador to the Soviet Union George F. Kennan, then Wilson Center Director James Billington, and historian S. Frederick Starr, the Kennan Institute is the foremost institute on advance Russian studies. As the Wilson Center’s oldest regional program, it is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange. 

In this issue: 

1. Foreword by Wilson Center President and CEO, Ambassador Mark A. Green.  

2. Introduction by Kennan Institute Director William Pomeranz.  

3. The United States Relationship with Russia Q&A with former US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan and Kennan Institute Senior Program Associate Joseph Dresen . 

4. Sleepwalking Into Conflict with the Kremlin by journalist and former Kennan Inst. Fellow Lucian Kim.  

5. War Crimes and Punishment Q&A with Clint Williamson, lead coordinator with the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group and Kennan Institute Director Will Pomeranz.  

6. Russia’s Unrestricted Warfare in Latin America by former Venezuelan Ambassador to the US Carlos Vecchio.  

7. Antisemitic Propaganda and Disinformation in Putin’s War Against Democracies by Kennan Institute Sr. Program Associate Izabella Tabarovsky.  

8. Political Repression in Disguise by Kennan Institute Senior Fellow Max Trudolyubov, editor-at-large of Meduza.   

9. Fleeing War, Fleeing Putin by Kennan Institute Deputy Director Jennifer Wistrand.   

10. The First War of the Energy Transition Q&A with Georgetown University energy and security expert Theresa Sabonis-Helf and Lauren Herzer Risi of the Environmental Change and Security Program. 

11. Navigating Russian Research Through Volatile Times by four former Kennan Institute directors. 

12. Building Trust Between Nations, One Scholar at a Time by Kennan Institute Program. Associate Victoria Pardini and Coordinator and Academic Liaison Nina Rozhanovskaya.  

13. Kennan’s X Marks the Spot by Kennan Institute Advisory Council Chair Michael Kimmage.