VALDAI DISCUSSION CLUB WORKING GROUP ON THE FUTURE OF THE RUSSIAN‐U.S. RELATIONS
2nd Meeting
December 2‐4, 2010, Moscow

The Valdai international discussion Club

Co-organizers: RIA Novosti, CFDP, Harvard University, Higher School of Economics (HSE)
Venue: School of International Economics & Foreign Affairs, Higher School of Economics (HSE)

The Valdai International Discussion Club’s Russian-U.S. working group on the future of bilateral relations met in Moscow on December 2-4, 2010. The meeting was organized by the Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti, the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Harvard University's Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and the Moscow-based State University Higher School of Economics.

The expert group’s second meeting convened young researchers, political analysts, as well as foreign academics specializing in Russian studies and U.S.-Russian relations.

The meeting focused on a whole range of issues pertaining to the two countries’ bilateral relations since the launch of the “reset” policy. The experts confirmed that U.S.-Russian relations have been successfully reconfigured and agreed that visible constructive interaction was going on between the two leaders. Therefore, in the medium term, they can be expected to work out cooperation policies on various international issues based on pragmatic considerations.

American participants emphasized the need to create a new paradigm of bilateral relations involving a close partnership in the post-Soviet countries aimed at preventing local developments from getting out of control and precluding conflicts between Russia and the United States.

The U.S.-Russian working group proposed continuing meetings between the two countries’ intellectuals in this format in 2011.

PROGRAM

Thursday, 2 December
05:00-07:00 pm
Round table discussion “U.S.‐Russian Relations after the U.S. November Elections: Is the Reset Going To Be Reset?”

Friday, 3 December
10:00-11:15 am
Meeting with Ambassador John Beyrle

11:45 am-12:30 pm
Meeting with Sergei Glaziev, Executive Secretary of the Commission of the Customs Union

01:00-01:45 pm
Meeting with Sergei Ryabkov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia

03:30-07:00 pm
First Session: «Post‐Soviet Space – Asset or Liability»

08:00-09:30 pm
Working dinner, with remarks by Alexander Yakovenko Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia,

Saturday, 4 December
10:00 am-02:00 pm
Second Session (Discussion of the Report): “U.S.‐Russian Relations After the ‘Reset’: Building a New Agenda”

03:00‐05:00 pm
Final Session: Summary and future plans

06:00‐08:00 pm
Working dinner with a group of leading Russian journalists Andrei Kolesnikov (Novaya Gazeta), Fyodor Luk’yanov (RGA), Alexei Pushkov (TVCenter), Kirill Rogov (freelance)

Sunday, 5 December
Departure of the most part of the American delegation

Participants list of the Russian group:

Pavel Andreev, Head of International Projects, RIA Novosti

Oleg Barabanov, Chairman of the Department, European Institute, MGIMO-University of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Professor, School of International Economics and Foreign Affairs, “Higher School of Economics” State University

Timofei Bordachev, Director of Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University - Higher School of Economics, Moscow

Maksim Braterskiy, Professor of International Relations, School of International Economics and Foreign Affairs, “Higher School of Economics” State University

Sergei Dubinin, Member of the Board, VTB Capital, VTB Group’s Investment Business

Alexei Fenenko, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for International Security Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences

Sergei Karaganov, Dean of the School of International Economics and Foreign Affairs, “Higher School of Economics” State University; Chairman of the Presidium, Council on Foreign and Defense Policy; Chairman of the Editorial Board, Russia in Global Affairs journal

Andrei Kolosovskiy, Director, Law and Corporate Affairs Department, OOO “Microsoft Rus LLC”; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Alexei Pil’ko, Professor of History, Moscow State University

Yuliya Nikitina, Research Fellow, Center of Post-Soviet Studies, MGIMO-University of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Marsel Salikhov, Head of Economic Department, Institute of Energy and Finance

Nikolai Silaev, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Studies of Caucasus, MGIMO-University of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director and Research Fellow, Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University - Higher School of Economics, Moscow; Deputy Director of Research Programs, Council on Foreign and Defense Policy

Mikhail Troitskiy, Professor, Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy, MGIMO-University of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman, Committee of the State Duma on CIS and Compatriots Affairs; Director, Institute of the CIS (Diaspora and Integration Problems)

Participants list of the U.S. group:

Rawi Abdelal, Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

Samuel Charap, Center for American Progress, Associate Director, Russia and Eurasia; Member, National Security and International Policy team, Center for American Progress

Timothy Colton, Professor and Chairman, Department of Government, Harvard University

Henry Hale, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs; Director, Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University

Yoshiko Herrera, Associate Professor in the department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin

Jeffrey Mankoff, Adjunct Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations

Randall Stone, Director of The Skalny Center for Polish and Central European Studies, University of Rochester

Alexandra Vacroux, Executive Director, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University