Join St. Antony's College at Oxford University for a talk with Simon Saradzhyan and Nabi Abdullaev on the conditions under which Vladimir Putin’s Russia decides whether to intervene militarily. Saradzhyan and Abdullaev will present main findings of the article "When Does Vladimir Putin's Russia Intervene and Why?" which they have co-written with Dr. Domitilla Sagramoso, lecturer at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. The article argues that the perception of an acute threat to the country’s vital national interests as well as a sensed capability to achieve a favorable military outcome are the main drivers behind such decisions. Furthermore, the article postulates that two additional factors make the Russian leadership more inclined to intervene militarily abroad: a Russian strategic culture based on a sense of strategic vulnerability and a desire to attain Great Power status, as well as substantial increases in Russia’s power vis-à-vis its leading Western competitors during Putin's rule.

Speakers:

Simon Saradzhyan, founding director, Russia Matters Project, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Nabi Abdullaev, director for Russia & CIS, Control Risks; professor of policy analysis, Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences