Two decades after the fall of the Soviet Union, what do Russians, Ukrainians, and Lithuanians think about the direction of their countries and the state of their politics? A panel of experts led by former secretary of state Madeleine Albright will discuss a new Pew Research Center report on public opinion in the three former Soviet republics. The new report, based on a 2011 survey and earlier surveys dating back to 1991, examines views of democracy, free markets, political leadership, and how societies have been affected by the changes that have taken place since the end of the communist era. The panel will also explore what lessons can be applied to the Arab Spring.
Pew Research Center’s Andrew Kohut will present the new findings, followed by a discussion with former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, Carnegie’s Dmitri Trenin, the International Republican Institute’s Stephen Nix, and NDI's Les Campbell.
Date: Friday, December 9, 2011
Time: 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.
Location: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Speakers:
Madeleine K. Albright is chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm, and chair of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets. Albright was the 64th secretary of state of the United States. From 1993 to 1997, she served as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations. Albright chairs both NDI and the Pew Global Attitudes Project.
Andrew Kohut is president and founder of the Pew Research Center. He also acts as director of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Global Attitudes Project. Kohut formerly served as president of the Gallup Organization and founding director of surveys for the Times Mirror Center. In 2005, Kohut received the American Association of Public Opinion Research’s highest honor, the Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement.
Les Campbell joined NDI in 1994 and has directed the Institute's programs in the Middle East and North Africa since 1996, overseeing a vast expansion of NDI's programs in the region. Prior to NDI, he was chief of staff to the leader of the New Democratic Party in the Canadian House of Commons.
Stephen Nix joined the International Republican Institute in 2000, as regional director for Eurasia. Prior to that he served for two years as senior democracy specialist at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Nix is an expert in political party development, and judicial and legal reform in the former Soviet Union.
Dmitri Trenin is director of the Carnegie Moscow Center and has been with the Center since its inception. He was previously a senior research fellow at the NATO Defense College in Rome and a senior research fellow at the Institute of Europe in Moscow. He served in the Soviet and Russian armed forces from 1972 to 1993.
