Anders Åslund
Dr. Aslund is a Resident Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council of the United States. He is also a chairman of the Advisory Council of the Center for Social and Economic Research, Warsaw, and of the Scientific Council of the Bank of Finland Institute for Economies in Transition. Dr. Aslund served as an economic advisor to several governments, such as Russia from 1991 to 1994 and Ukraine from 1994 to 1997. He specializes in Moldova, Russia and Ukraine and covers issues such as corruption, rule of law, macroeconomics and geopolitics security. Dr. Aslund is widely published and has written several books. His Ukraine: What Went Wrong and How to Fix It was published in 2015 by Columbia University Press, and Dr. Aslund’s most recent book, Russia’s Crony Capitalism: The Path from Market Economy to Kleptocracy, was published in 2019 by Yale University Press.
Friday March, 4
Panel V: Putin Looks Into Biden’s Eyes: What Does He See There
President Biden of the United States stated that he once looked into President Putin's eyes and saw no soul behind them. What, on the other hand, did Putin see when he returned Biden's gaze? One year into Biden's presidency, US-Russian relations are possibly at their lowest point since the Cold War's end. How can these mutual perceptions – both personal and international – be used to comprehend the current tensions between the two powers and the Kremlin’s decision to invade Ukraine? How has Russia's assessment of political will and unity in Washington influenced their current geopolitical strategy? This panel will address these issues and more.
Moderator: Dr. Asta Maskaliūnaitė, Director, Department of Political Studies, Baltic Defence College