November 2017 Conference

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University) held their first joint conference on November 16, 2017 on the Tufts University campus. The conference focused on competing visions of global order in the United States and the Russian Federation. U.S.-Russia relations remain unsettled since the Cold War. The bilateral relationship has deteriorated even further over the past decade, and the public and political discourses in both countries are hostile and uncompromising.

The first step in managing relations, however, should be to make account of the actual scope of disagreement by examining specific issues on which preferences of the parties diverge or clash. Hence, the aim of the conference was to identify differences between the Russian Federation and United States in major areas, in which both sides have identifiable interests and substantial potential for action. These areas include contrasting narratives about the post-Cold War era, the accepted boundaries of national sovereignty, differing interpretations of international law, the situation in the Euro-Atlantic, Middle Eastern, and Asia-Pacific regions, as well as mutual suspicion regarding interference by the other side in its domestic politics.

The conference was part of the U.S.-Russia Relations Initiative sponsored by Carnegie Corporation of New York. The Fletcher Eurasia Club, Center for Strategic Studies, and Science Diplomacy Center also helped organize the event. We are thankful for the support of our sponsors, partners, and volunteers. Please see the conference program booklet, agenda, speakers, photos and videos.

For news and media about the first Fletcher-MGIMO conference, please see the following links:

• Professor Daniel Drezner Reflects on U.S.-Russia Relations Conference (This article was republished from The Washington Post)

• Professor Daniel Drezner Explains How to Organize an International Conference (This article was republished from The Washington Post)

• MGIMO and Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Organized First Joint Conference (This article was republished from MGIMO website)

• U.S.-Russia Relations Tested at Fletcher-MGIMO Conference (The coverage was provided by NBC 10 Boston)

• The Fletcher School and MGIMO University Host Conference on U.S.-Russia Relations (This article was republished from Fletcher Features)