The Kortunov Foreign Policy Debates are a project initiated by the Center for the Support and Development of Public Initiatives Creative Diplomacy (PICREADI). It is conducted in the format of a rhetorical competition that deals with foreign policy and international relations. The Debates are held in memory of Dr. Sergei V. Kortunov, a Russian political scientist and the author of many publications on national security and identity.

The 10th Anniversary Debates will take place on December 19, 2019.  It will take place in the format of a discussion on three topics between Russian experts of the Russian International Affairs Council/Creative Diplomacy on one side and their American colleagues of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University on the other side. In total, there will be three pairs of participants, with everyone taking a yes/no position on each question.

They will consider the following three questions: 

1. Can economic sanctions really change the behavior of governments?
2. Are the United States, Russia, and China doomed for confrontation?
3. Do Russia and the United States currently face an ideological clash?

The participants will include: 

1. Ivan Timofeev, Director of Programs at the Russian International Affairs Council (Russia) vs. Daniel Drezner, Professor of International Politics at The Fletcher School at Tufts University (United States)
2. Pavel Kanevsky, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Sociology at Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia) vs. Sulmaan Khan, Associate Professor of International History and Chinese Foreign Relations at The Fletcher School at Tufts University (United States)
3. Alexey Naumov, journalist at Kommersant business daily newspaper and expert at the Russian International Affairs Council (Russia) vs. Chris Miller, Assistant Professor of International History at The Fletcher School at Tufts University (United States)

For more information about the rules of the Debates, please click here. Attendance is by registration only on Eventbrite. Refreshments will be provided.

The Debates will be streamed live on WebEx. You will need to register through the Fletcher Russia and Eurasia Program and install the WebEx plugin before joining the webinar. In order to join the webcast, please click here.

To participate in voting during the Debates, please click here.