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Profs and Pints DC presents: “Putin’s Endgame,” a look at the Russian president’s long-term foreign policy objectives, with Michael Kimmage, professor of history at Catholic University, fellow at the German Marshall Fund, and former U.S. State Department planner for Russia and Ukraine.
It is not an overstatement to stay that what’s on the mind of Russian President Vladimir Putin matters to every U.S. citizen.
Be on hand as Russia expert Michael Kimmage returns to the Profs and Pints stage to discuss how Putin’s life and experience in both domestic and international politics has shaped his foreign-policy objectives and vision of the world and Russia’s place in it.
Professor Kimmage will look how Putin’s 22 years in power can be broken into distinct phases. He initially presented himself at home and abroad as a modernizer, then sought to push against U.S. power abroad and in our nation’s own elections, and in the last year has come to see himself as at war with the West.
Dr. Kimmage also will lay out Putin’s long-term goals for Russia vis-à-vis Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. He’ll evaluate the deepening Russia-China relationship, describe Putin’s effort to engage the “global South,” and shed light on how Putin has been using a combination of economic pressure and paramilitary force to gain influence in Africa and elsewhere. You’ll learn how the kind of international order Putin wants to have is defined by spheres of influence and a “might makes right” ethos.
At the heart of this talk will be an analysis of Putin’s huge bet against the United State and against the West in the form of his 2022 decision to invade Ukraine. Among the questions Dr. Kimmage will tackle: Why has Putin perceived the U.S. as weak and Europe as disunited? Why does he think he will prevail in Ukraine and is doing so even now, despite big setbacks on the ground? What might be some of his next moves?
You’ll be thankful you made the move of coming to hear Professor Kimmage speak. (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15, or $13 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please allow yourself time to place any orders and get seated and settled in.)
Image: Putin with Russia’s minister of defense in 2013. Photo is from Putin’s Web site (www.kremlin.ru)
