CTEC Director Jason Blazakis quoted in RIA Novosti on counterterrorism cooperation between the U.S. & the Russian Federation.

CTEC Director and Middlebury Institute professor Jason Blazakis recently spoke with RIA Novosti correspondent Grigory Dubovitsky on counterterrorism cooperation between the U.S. and the Russian Federation.

Professor Blazakis emphasized that cooperation on counterterrorism matters can help build trust and normalize relations between the two nations. He also offered an example of cooperation on terrorist sanctions during his tenure as Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Terrorist Financing and Designations, where Russian and U.S. officials worked together to sanction Imarat Kavkaz and Doku Umarov during the Obama and Medvedev administrations.


“The U.S. and UN designations are illustrative of the fact that the U.S. and the Russian Federation can even cooperate on counterterrorism sanctions issues.  This type of activity can help build trust between the nations – a trust that is vitally important to attain if there is to be a thawing of relations between the U.S. and Russian Federation.”