collage fellows mssr 2022
Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia 2022 Fellows

The Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia 2022, conceived as a series of discussions, addressed pressing issues in the field of Russian Studies. The curriculum of the Monterey Symposium was redesigned in spring 2022 to help fellows contextualize Russia’s war on Ukraine and the resulting regional and global challenges. Experts from Russia, America, Ukraine, the EU and China offered incisive and contrasting analyses on the Russian military, sanctions, values in foreign policy, the mercurial nature of power, memory politics, and potential outcomes of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Through high-level debate and discussion, fellows explored questions of empire and imperialism, Russia’s frayed bilateral relations, and divisions among the international community in how to respond to Russia’s war. The 2022 Monterey Symposium included supplementary courses on Ukrainian history, the evolution of Russian foreign policy, and diplomatic writing.

Continuing the best traditions of the Monterey Symposium, the interdisciplinary bilingual curriculum comprised interactive lectures, roundtables, workshops, boot camps, and debates. Through such content, the symposium constructed a supportive platform for rising Russia specialists to understand the shadows of the past, deal honestly with the calamitous challenges of the present and lay the foundations for a more hopeful future.

Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia (MSSR) 2022 was held online from July 6 - July 29, 2022.

Pre-MSSR Elective Modules

The History of Ukraine

The History of Russian Foreign Policy

Core Modules, Topics and Workshops

Module A: Russian Foreign Policy

  • The Drivers of Russian Foreign Policy
  • Russia’s Understanding of Itself in International Politics from 1990 until the Present Day
  • Ukraine and Russia in Historical Perspective
  • Looking from the East: A Chinese Perspective on Russia
  • Looking East: Pax Sinica in the Making?
  • Looking West: Russia-U.S. Relations
  • How is Russian Foreign Policy Made, and by Whom?
  • Looking from the South: A MENA Perspective on Russia
  • Looking South: Russia’s Relations with the Middle East and North Africa
  • An Indian Perspective on Russia
  • Russia’s Relations with the EU (Case study: Germany) - February 2022 as a Point of No Return?

Module B: Strategic Stability

  • Strategic Stability Roundtable 
  • Sanctions, Economic Power and Economic Stability
  • NATO and Russia

Module C: What is power?

  • The Role of the Siloviki in Russian Society
  • Internet Sovereignty and the Power of Technology
  • The Russian Military
  • Russia’s Soft Power
  • What is Power? A Roundtable Discussion

Module D: Values and Narrative in Political Decision Making

  • Politics of Emotions and Values in International Relations
  • Narratives on the Collapse of the USSR: A Roundtable Discussion

Module E: Russia in Historical, Political and Cultural Context

  • Russia and Empire(s)
  • Russian Messianism and Cultural Identity
  • Tragedy and War: Literature versus Politics?
  • Russian Youth Culture and Promise
  • Russian Language Ukrainian Literature
  • Politics of Memory in Contemporary Russia

Module F: Track II - Reconstruction, Reparation, Reconciliation

  • Reconciling Visions of the Past – In Theory and in Practice
  • How to Rebuild Ukraine?
  • How to Rebuild Russia?
  • A New Diplomacy or the End of Diplomacy?

Workshops and training:

  • Diplomatic Thinking and Memo Writing 
  • Harvard Negotiation Task Force Boot Camp
  • Making Your Policy Point for TV, Radio and the Educated Public
  • Investigative Journalism

Post-MSSR Elective Modules

Using Memory as a Force for Good

Propaganda: A World View