Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

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This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Alexey Arbatov, who is a deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. He is deputy chairman of its Defense Committee and heads the Commission for Defense Security and Ratification of International Treaties.

Dr. Arbatov is a member of the council of the Yabloko faction, a political party in Russia. From 1976 to 1994, he was a senior researcher of the Institute of the World Economy and International Relations of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in Moscow. He is a Doctor of History.

1. Background ... influence of parents ... education ... impact of fall of communism
2. Politics in a New Democracy ... entry into politics ... challenges of the new system ... crash course in democracy for Russian people
3. Parliament and the Transition ... national security issues ... economic decline ... implications for military reform and foreign policy ... shaping policy ... example of legislative work
4. U.S. - Russia Relations ... cooperation on war on terrorism ... Iraq ... mistake of unilaterally dismantling international security regime ... challenge of building international regimes
5. War on Terrorism ... Putin's support of Bush on Afghanistan ... assets and cooperation ... multilateral ways to deal with terrorism ... the case of Chechnya ... dealing with insurgencies ... importance of preemption in a multilateral context ... failure to agree on the dangers ... problem of "loose nukes" in former Soviet Union
6. Conclusion ... big picture vs. daily frustrations

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