The NCAFP recently hosted a conversation between Thomas Graham, Managing Director of Kissinger Associates and Senior Fellow at Yale's Jackson Institute of Global Affairs, and Ivan Safranchuk, Associate Professor with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

The speakers take a question from Ambassador Kai Sauer, Permanent Representative of Finland to the UN
Their off-record conversation took an an interesting character, with each speaker doing their best to channel the foreign policy positions of their respective nations. This allowed for the creation of a remarkable back-and-forth that illuminated not only the stance of the Russian government on key issues, but the reasons why the government has taken certain actions in Syria and the Ukraine. The long-standing rapport between the two speakers made for a candid evening in which opinions were challenged and misconceptions righted. See additional event photos here