The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), and the Center for the Support and Development of Public Initiatives Creative Diplomacy (PICREADI) welcome you to The Kortunov Global Affairs Debates. The Debates are conducted in the format of a rhetorical competition that deals with foreign policy and international relations. Please make sure to register via myFletcher to participate in the event on Zoom.

The annual 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. In 2021, the Debates will take place in the format of discussions on three topics among experts from The Fletcher School, RIAC, and other institutions. In each debate, two sides, each consisting of two speakers, will argue alternative yes/no positions on the question at hand.

The audience will vote yes/no on the question posed within the debate. The voting will take place before and after the discussion. The goal is to understand to what extent the audience changes its attitude toward the presented topic and whether a speaker manages to be persuasive.

Question: Should growing economic inequality around the world be blamed for the rise of populism?

Speakers:

Katrina Burgess, Associate Professor of Political Economy; Director, Henry J. Leir Institute, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University	Igor Istomin, Associate Professor, Department of Applied International Political Analysis, MGIMO University
Pavel Kanevsky, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology of Political Processes, Faculty of Sociology, Moscow State University	David Art, Professor, Department of Political Science, Tufts University