MIR News

The Return of the Taliban: Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies Hosts Panel Discussion on Afghanistan

September 28, 2021 | by Mollie Messick MATESOL '21

The Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies (MIR) recently hosted a panel discussion on the Afghanistan crisis and its regional and global consequences. Panelists included Dr. Elena Chernenko, special correspondent at the Kommersant daily newspaper in Moscow; Anatol Lieven, senior fellow for Russia and Europe at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; Rakesh Sood, distinguished fellow at the Observer Research Foundation; and Clarissa Ward, CNN’s chief international correspondent.
 

News Stories

Russian Investigative Journalist Elena Kostyuchenko Speaks With MIIS Russian Students

December 6, 2021 | by Irene Fernald

Russian investigative journalist and special correspondent for the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, Elena Kostyuchenko, spoke in Russian to MIIS students about her experiences reporting in the Donbass region of Ukraine and in Norilsk, Russia. Kostyuchenko provided insights on war and environmental justice and responded to students’ questions.
 

Vladimir Pozner Speaks In-Person at the Middlebury Institute

November 15, 2021 | by Jarlath McGuckin

Veteran journalist, author, and television travelogue host, Vladimir Pozner, visited the Institute campus for a series of lectures. Mr. Pozner spoke with students about relations between the United States and Russia, mass media in both countries, and the challenges of the next century

Russian Mongolia Expert Yury Kruchkin Delivers Online Lecture for MIR

November 15, 2021 | by Irene Fernald

The Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies (MIR) recently hosted the world’s leading expert on Mongolia-Russia relations, Dr. Yury Kruchkin, for a series of lectures to Russian language students at MIIS and the Defense Language Institute.

News Stories

Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia Connects Students with Experts on U.S.-Russia Relations

September 15, 2021 | by Mollie Messick MATESOL '21 and Jason Warburg

The immersive seven-week symposium offered 15 enrolled fellows the chance to hear from and interact with an extraordinary panel of experts on Russian identity and U.S.-Russia relations, from former New START treaty negotiators to the current Russian ambassador to the U.S.

Fifth Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia Concludes

August 9, 2021 | by Mollie Messick MATESOL '21

The fifth annual Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia (MSSR) concluded after seven weeks of immersive study that brought together 15 fellows with 58 experts to engage in bilingual analysis and discussion of Russia-West relations.

News Stories

Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies Launches U.S.-Russia Ambassador Video Series

May 12, 2021 | by Sarah Ray

As U.S.-Russia rhetoric intensifies, new video series brings together eight former ambassadors to reflect on decades of complex relations. The collection, released by the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies, is the first known set of interviews of all but one of the living U.S. ambassadors to the Soviet Union/Russian Federation.

Campus Notes

MIR Congratulates Sullivan, Finer and Welcomes Ulitskaya

January 15, 2021 | by Jarlath McGuckin

The Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies (MIRS) congratulates 2019 and 2020 Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia (MSSR) experts Jon Finer and Jake Sullivan on their appointments to the Biden administration, and welcomes renowned Russian writer Lyudmila Ulitskaya to MSSR 2021.