Robert English on the Role of Russia in International Affairs

On February 25th, my fellow Global Scholars and I had the distinct pleasure of hearing Ian Kim interview Professor Robert English who offered an unique perspective on Russia’s extensive engagement in global affairs. Professor English received a PhD in politics from Princeton University and worked for the Department of Defense during the Reagan Administration, and he currently teaches international relations, Slavic languages and literature, and environmental studies at USC. In his discussion with Ian Kim and those in attendance, Professor English answered questions ranging from the future of Russian President  Vladimir Putin’s cult of personality to Russian intervention in the Middle East and interference in European and American elections.

Throughout the event, English attempted to expand the discourse surrounding Russian geopolitics beyond what can be easily ascertained in the news media by presenting something closer to the Russian perspective on many of the most pressing issues. The discussion began with a closer look at Vladimir Putin, which English deemed appropriate due to Russia’s historic tendency toward powerful autocracies headed by strong, charismatic leaders. English was quick to point out that one of Putin’s greatest influences—even beyond his experiences in the KGB—was the horrific the decade-long depression Russia experienced in the 1990s. According to English, Putin and many of his supporters blamed the policies of Western bodies like the International Monetary Fund and the Clinton Administration for Russia’s economic collapse and the rise of the oligarchy that controls much of Russian industry today. This balanced perspective, supported by a rare willingness to empathize with Russia and hold America and Europe accountable for their mistakes, made for an eye-opening discussion as Professor English took questions about Russia’s role in the Syrian Civil War, its support of radical right-wing populists around the world, and its worrisome nuclear proliferation.

Professor English ended the night with a story from the time he spent in Russia writing his master’s thesis during the Perestroika era. Over the course of his nine-month stay at a hotel in Moscow, he became increasingly friendly with the doorman, a grizzled Stalinist and WWII veteran who wore his combat medals from the Eastern Front every day as a symbol of pride. One day, the doorman approached Professor English to tell him to tell him a story about his time in WWII. English was expecting a diatribe on Russia’s military dominance or pivotal role in winning in the war; what he got was a full-throated appreciation of America for creating SPAM (yes, the canned meat), as the battle-hardened vet remembered it being one of the greatest things he had ever tasted while he sat stranded on the battlefield. Throughout his presentation, English emphasized the human lens through which geopolitics must be seen, and in the end, he suggested that interacting with Russia as a country full of people, rather than an offshoot of Vladimir Putin’s hostile posturing, might be the way toward achieving effective diplomacy.