The Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies at the University of Michigan will welcome Ambassador Michael McFaul to campus on October 21 to give a lecture titled “A New Cold War? Russia’s New Confrontation with the West.” McFaul is a professor of political science, director and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He has authored several books on global democracy and Russian politics and government. His deep knowledge of Russian affairs led to his service as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council at the White House from 2009-12. McFaul was then appointed as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation, a position he held from January 2012 to February 2014.

During his public lecture at U-M, McFaul will discuss the current state of relations between the United States and Russia, drawing on recent events and seeking explanations for ongoing tension. McFaul was at the center of the U.S./Russia relationship during his time as Ambassador, often stirring up controversy with the Russian media and government. “He is the pre-eminent expert, both as a scholar and a practitioner, on U.S.-Russian relations, and his visit is an exciting opportunity to learn from one of the key actors in this critical relationship,” says Anna Grzymala-Busse, director of the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies.

The lecture will take place on Wednesday, October 21, at 5:00 PM at Rackham Amphitheatre, 915 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, MI. Admission is free and open to the public. The lecture will be presented by the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies, with support from the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.