Washington, DC—On October 4, 2018, the WFPG hosted a Beyond the Headlines discussion with Julia Gurganus, Non-resident Scholar in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for Peace, on Russia’s Return to the Global Stage. The program was moderated by Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Senior Fellow and Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. Gurganus, a career Russia watcher and intelligence community analyst, spoke in her personal capacity. In her remarks she outlined a brief history of Russia’s foreign policy to indicate that today we are seeing a return, rather than an arrival, of Russia to the global stage. She noted that Russia’s involvement abroad is motivated by the country’s lack of physical borders, its desire to be seen as a great power, and its ambiguous relationship with the West. Gurganus underlined the importance of the new tools Russia is using to achieve its goals, such as social media campaigns. She took questions from attendees regarding Russia’s economy, the utility of sanctions, Russia’s activities in Latin America, and the relationship between Russia and China. Going forward, Gurganus underlines that Russia will remain a challenge for the US and that it is necessary to anticipate the tools Russia will employ in the future. The program was hosted by the Women's Initiative Network of Reed Smith (WINRS) in Washington, DC.

Julia Gurganus delivers remarks		Moderator Andrea Kendall-Taylor
Ellen Nakashima of The Washington Post		Haleigh Morgus asks a question
Yasuko Fumuro of the Sumitomo Corporation		Erika Veberyte of International Strategies
Beth Sanner asks a question		Audience members during the discussion
Audience members converse with moderator Andrea Kendall-Taylor after the discussion		Julia Gurganus and moderator Andrea Kendall-Taylor