Today’s episode features a conversation with Irina Kosterina, Programme Coordinator for Gender at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Moscow, about the changing shape of Russian society. Olga, Jeff, and Irina discuss a wide range of issues, including Russia’s shifting gender dynamics, reproductive rights, LGBTQ activism, and the impact of demographic trends.Then, Olga and Jeff huddle around microphones in our unheated studio to review Jeff’s recent trip to Moscow, where he spoke with Russian experts about expectations for U.S.-Russia relations under the Trump administration.

If you’re interested in hearing more from Irina Kosterina, check out her expert page here (http://bit.ly/2gSUbFM) and her recent presentation at CSIS as part of Global Security Forum 2016 here (http://bit.ly/2gIlpLR). Also, if you’re interested in reading more on the future of U.S.-Russia relations, Olga recently published a new piece on the topic as part of the CSIS Global Forecast (http://bit.ly/2hsoQsH). And as Olga mentioned, please send us your comments and questions for our new mailbag feature. Email rep@csis.org and put “Russian Roulette” in the subject line. We look forward to hearing from you.

This week’s episode features a conversation with Angela Stent, Director of the Center for Eurasian, Russia, and East European Studies at Georgetown University, on the future of U.S.-Russia relations. Olga, Jeff, and Angela speculate on the question of how the Kremlin seems to be thinking about its engagement with the incoming Trump administration, and address potential areas for U.S.-Russian cooperation and conflict over the coming years. They also talk about the state of the field of Russian and Eurasian studies in the United States and prospects for the development of regional expertise.

If you’re interested in hearing more from Angela Stent, check out her book, The Limits of Partnership: U.S.-Russian Relations in the Twenty-First Century, here (http://bit.ly/1GPkJO0) and her expert page on the Georgetown University website here (http://bit.ly/2gUZ2Sz). Also, if you’re interested in hearing more about trends and changes in Russia, check out our recent panel, as part of the CSIS Global Security Forum 2016, on “Russia Today and Tomorrow: Implications for the U.S.” here (http://bit.ly/2gIlpLR).

Today’s episode features a two-part interview with New York Times correspondent Steven Lee Myers. Jeff and Steven first discuss the role Russia has played in the U.S. election and the prospects for U.S.-Russia relations, regardless of who wins the election on November 8. Then, they dive deeper into Steven’s experience reporting on Russia as a correspondent in Moscow and discuss his new book, “The New Tsar: The Rise and Reign of Vladimir Putin.”

To read more from Steven Lee Myers, check out his work at the New York Times: http://nyti.ms/2fLjxV4. Click here (http://bit.ly/2elqUgU) to purchase his book.

This episode of Russian Roulette begins with a conversation with CSIS Europe Program Director Heather Conley about her new report, “The Kremlin Playbook: Understanding Russian Influence in Central and Eastern Europe.” Heather and our hosts review the report’s findings, the implications of Russian influence in Europe, and the policy options available to counter that influence. Then, Olga talks with Miriam Lanskoy of the National Endowment of Democracy and Giorgi Tsikolia from the Embassy of Georgia about the results of Georgia’s recent parliamentary elections and what this election means for Georgia’s political future.

To read Heather Conley’s new report, click here: http://bit.ly/2e4ph8G. You can also access all of the CSIS Europe Program’s work on their homepage (http://bit.ly/29WhUCA), including the video of the launch conference for “The Kremlin Playbook” (http://bit.ly/2drHPyO). You can find more from Miriam Lanskoy by going to the National Endowment for Democracy website here: http://bit.ly/2eAAygk. Finally, you can find CSIS’ recent report on “Georgia in a Reconnecting Eurasia” here: http://bit.ly/2a9BQMV.

Today’s episode of Russian Roulette starts off with a discussion of the recent restructuring within Vladimir Putin’s circle of advisers and ministers with Pavel Baev of the Peace Research Institute Olso (PRIO). Then, Olga speaks with Jeremy Mayer, an expert on U.S. electoral politics from George Mason University, about the role that Russia has played in this American election season.

Click here (http://bit.ly/2dBAKh9) to hear more from Jeremy Mayer. If you are interested in reading more of Pavel Baev’s work, check out his blog “Arctic Politics and Russia’s Ambitions” here: http://bit.ly/2dBB2Ve). You can also read his most recent article “Younger Crowd Will Not Rejuvenate Putin’s Court” here: http://bit.ly/2dyYwxF. 

On today’s episode of Russian Roulette, Jeff starts off with a conversation with Michael Kofman, an expert on Russian military capabilities and strategy from the Kennan Institute and the Center for Naval Analysis, about Russia’s intervention in Syria and its role in that conflict. Then, Jeff speaks with Alisher Sidikov, the director of Radio Ozodlik, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Uzbek service, about the death of President Islam Karimov and the ongoing political transition in Uzbekistan.

Click here (http://bit.ly/2cqTcpb) to hear more from Michael Kofman. If you are interested in hearing more from Alisher Sidikov or reading Radio Ozodlik’s coverage of Uzbekistan, head to their website here: http://bit.ly/QDK3yo. Additionally, check out Alisher’s recent presentation at CSIS here: http://bit.ly/2bFfZCe.

Episode 12 of Russian Roulette starts with a conversation between Olga and Jim Lewis, the director of the CSIS Strategic Technologies Program. They talk about cybersecurity generally, the alleged Russian hack of the Democratic National Committee and spying vs. hacking. In the second half of the podcast, Olga and Jeff have a conversation with Taras Kuzio, Senior Research Fellow at the Canadian Institute of Ukraine Studies at the University of Alberta. They discuss the role played by nationalism, identity politics, and organized crime in modern Ukraine and the prospects for the country’s future.

If you are interested in hearing more from Jim, head to the CSIS Strategic Technologies program homepage here: http://bit.ly/2cInF4a. Additionally, be sure to check out Jim’s recent article about cyber activities in the Ukraine conflict (http://bit.ly/2cjd6Gs) and his overview of the DNC hack (http://bit.ly/2cczH4C). Additionally, you can find all of Taras’ publications on his personal website here: http://bit.ly/2czrB6G.

In this last episode of August 2016, Olga and Jeff sit down with Ruslan Pukhov, the director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) in Moscow for an in-depth discussion of Russian defense industry, the global arms trade, and Russian policy in Syria. Later, Olga and Jeff look back at the month of August and ask whether or not this month has given us an “August surprise” that measures up to those of past years (spoiler: not yet, but it has been an interesting month).

If you are interested in hearing more from Ruslan or in subscribing to any of CAST’s publications, head to the CAST website here:http://bit.ly/2bDfebL. Additionally, you can find Igor Zevelev’s new piece on Russia’s compatriots policy here: http://bit.ly/2c1ACZe.

In this very special bonus episode, we are pleased to feature a conversation between Zbigniew Brzezinski and CSIS President and CEO John J. Hamre, in which Dr. Brzezinski discusses recent developments in Russian foreign policy and the implications for Europe. This conversation is part of a series produced by the Brzezinski Institute on Geostrategy at CSIS. You can find the rest of the conversations on their website: http://bit.ly/2acdvf4.  

In this episode, Olga and Jeff welcome CSIS Visiting Fellow Ivan Safranchuk into the studio for an in-depth discussion of the geopolitical dynamics of Central Asia. Later, Olga, Jeff, and Ivan speak with Shigeo Katsu, President of Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, about the challenges in building an international university in Central Asia and the future of Kazakhstan and the region.

If you are interested in hearing more from Ivan, head to the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program website here: http://bit.ly/2ahBJm3. You can also find his recent presentation on Afghanistan and Central Asia at CSIS here: http://bit.ly/2aKTgkB. Finally, you can find CSIS’s new studies on Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia here: http://bit.ly/2aiiJRs