About this lecture series
Lectures of Opportunity (LOOs) offer Naval War College (NWC) students, faculty, and staff an opportunity to learn more about national and international socio-political subjects that may be of relevance to the NWC community.
Synopsis
This discussion will provide a short geostrategic survey of the vast Russian Federation from a Eurasian perspective. It will touch domestically and externally on Russia's contemporary challenges and actions while also taking a long view into the next generation. The discussion will also concentrate on Russia's fundamentals—her difficult geography and history—as a prelude to addressing Russia's world of existential threats; real, perceived and contrived. Additionally we will address the ongoing evolution of the Russian military, especially from 2008 to 2019. Finally we will survey Russia's geostrategic periphery, including China, Europe, its fractious South and the melting Arctic, with a particular concentration on how it will manage its own internal and broader global dynamics into the next generation.