What are Putin’s red lines?  Are they tantamount to nuclear threats?  Or, given the lack of overt follow through, should they be discounted altogether? What is the internal logic to these threats and how do we evaluate them?

Join us for a guest lecture by Professor Adam N. Stulberg who will address these questions by deciphering the content, context, and coherence of Putin’s red line discourse. Specifically, the speaker will leverage data analytical techniques to compare and contrast expectations from the Western canon with the idiosyncrasies of the construction and timing of Putin’s explicit references to red lines. The disconnect between this overt discourse and potential trigger events is situated within the strategic logic of Russia’s “way of warfare” that places a premium on “reflexive control,” as opposed to the demonstration of resolve and credibility. This explication of the literal discourse is augmented by ongoing data and visual analyses of the application of Putin’s “real” red line threats to highlight the logical foundations and identify benchmarks for assessing the risks of inadvertent escalation.

Adam N. Stulberg is Sam Nunn Professor and School Chair at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on international security; global nuclear security and (non)proliferation; geopolitics of energy; Russia/Eurasian politics and security affairs; comparative approaches to statecraft; as well as interdisciplinary courses on science, technology, and international security policy. His current research focuses on applying new data and visual analytical tools to explicate puzzles related to contemporary strategic stability, Russia’s cross-domain & gray-zone conflict behavior, Russian-PRC strategic relations, the changing commercial nuclear landscape and international security, as well as energy security dilemmas and statecraft.

Dr. Stulberg earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as holds an M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University, and a B.A. in History from the University of Michigan. He served as a Political Consultant at RAND from 1987-1997, and as a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (1997-1998). In addition, Dr. Stulberg consulted for the Carnegie Corporation of New York (2000-2010) and Office of Net Assessment, Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense (2000-). He is currently Senior Faculty Advisor, Strategic Energy Institute, an interdisciplinary research unit at Georgia Tech that explores the geopolitics of the changing energy landscape. Professor Stulberg previously held the Neal Family Endowed Chair in International Affairs, and currently holds the Sam Nunn Endowed Chair at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech.

Dr. Stulberg has authored or edited five books— including Well-Oiled Diplomacy: Strategic Manipulation and Russia’s Energy Statecraft (SUNY Press, 2007); [co-edited with Matthew Fuhrmann] The Nuclear Renaissance and International Security (Stanford University Press, 2013); and most recently [co-edited with Lawrence Rubin] The End of Strategic Stability (Georgetown University Press, 2018). He also has published widely in leading international academic and policy journals, including Foreign Affairs, Security Studies, Review of International Political Economy, Europe-Asia Studies, Energy Research & Social Science, Orbis, Problems of Post-Communism, The Nonproliferation Review, and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Refreshments will be served. This in-person event is open to the public. Please register via the Google Form here.

Date: Tuesday, March 10, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
Location: Fletcher Russia and Eurasia Program Conference Room
Address: 114 Curtis St, Somerville, MA 02144