28th Annual Camden Conference – Russia Resurgent

28th Annual Camden Conference – Russia Resurgent – February 20-22, 2015

The 2015 Conference on "Russia Resurgent" will go behind the news to examine Russia’s role in the world from multiple perspectives, including not just that of the US but also those of Russia's own citizens, Eastern and Western Europeans, and the Chinese.

Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, will be returning to moderate the Conference, which will feature distinguished and knowledgeable speakers from Russia, Europe and China, as well as the U.S. As always, the audience will have plenty of opportunity to join in the conversation.

The February Conference will be organized around three main themes. First, we will consider the historic, economic and political factors that have shaped how Russians conceive of themselves and their place in the world. Then we will examine how Russia is viewed by other countries of Europe and Asia. Finally, we will get in-depth perspectives from both Washington and Moscow on the diplomatic and geostrategic challenges in U.S.– Russian relations.

When Russia was last a Camden Conference topic in 1994, America's adversary through four decades of Cold War was engaged in a controversial selloff of its huge mineral resources, its population was in decline, and it had few friends and admirers on the global stage. The ensuing decades saw Russia regroup. It reignited rapid economic growth, stabilized its population, and became a force to be reckoned with globally. Just how much of a force became clear with Russia's move over the last year into Crimea and the broader Ukraine political crisis.

One result has been to reignite many of the smoldering embers from the Cold War, with Russian President Vladimir Putin now seen by many in the West as dictatorial at home and aggressive abroad. Within Russia, though, Putin's popularity is at highs undreamt of by US President Barack Obama and many of his European counterparts. China and many other Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American countries have mixed views, but often see Russia as a source of stable foreign policy and a champion of the "multi-polar” world view many of them also espouse.

The 2015 Camden Conference will try to help attendees better understand these "dueling narratives" -- and draw their own conclusions based on that deeper understanding.

Conference registration opens Monday, December 1, 2014.  Early Member registration began November 17, 2014.  For more information, please visit www.camdenconference.org, email info@camdenconference.org, or call 207-236-1034.

The mission of the Camden Conference is to foster informed discourse on world issues. For more information, visit www.camdenconference.org, email info@camdenconference.org, or call 207-236-1034.

Photo: Amb. Nicholas Burns addressing the 2013 Camden Conference, Sarah Szwajkos Photographer