home > the cfr think tank > experts > stephen sestanovich
George F. Kennan Senior Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies
Contact Info:
Phone: +1-202-509-8454
E-mail: ssestanovich@cfr.org
Location:
Washington, DC
Media downloads:
One-page bio (PDF, 51K)
Video clip (MP4, 1.3 MB)
Former ambassador-at-large and special adviser to the secretary of state for policy toward the states of the former Soviet Union. Directed the CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force that produced the report Russia’s Wrong Direction: What the United States Can and Should Do.
Expertise:Russia and the former Soviet Union; Caucasus and Central Asia; U.S. foreign policy.
Experience:Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Professor in the Practice of International Diplomacy, Columbia University (2001-present); Ambassador-at-large and Special Adviser to the Secretary for the new independent states, U.S. Department of State (1997-2001); Vice President for Russian and Eurasian Affairs, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (1994-97); Director of Soviet and East European Studies [Russian and Eurasian Studies after 1991], Center for Strategic and International Studies (1987-94); Senior Director for Policy Development, National Security Council (1985-87); Director of Political-Military Affairs, National Security Council (1984-85); member, policy planning staff, U.S. Department of State (1981-84); Senior Legislative Assistant for Foreign Policy, office of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1980-81); Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science, Columbia University (1979-80); Assistant Professor of Political Science, graduate faculty, The New School for Social Research (1978-80).
Languages:Russian, German, and Spanish (familiar).
Selected Publications:Russia’s Wrong Direction: What the United States Can and Should Do, Report of an Independent Task Force (Council on Foreign Relations Press, 2006).
Current Research Projects
Past Research Project
November 25, 2008
Expert Brief
Russia's toughest economic challenge since the collapse of 1998 could lead it to a less confrontational foreign policy and a loss of international standing, writes CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.
See more in Russian Fed., Economic Development, Financial Crises
November/December 2008
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
The next president will have to reassess the U.S.-Russian relationship and find the right balance between pushing back and cooperating.
See more in United States, Russian Fed.
August 12, 2008
Daily Opinion Roundup
In Tuesday's Roundup: Debate hits new low in Pakistan, Raul Castro redefines Socialism for the worse, and Georgia's gathering crisis.
August 11, 2008
Audio
Listen to CFR senior fellows discuss the ongoing conflict between Russia and Georgia.
See more in Georgia, Russian Fed.
August 11, 2008
Transcript
A CFR conference call on the Russia/Georgia conflict.
See more in Europe/Russia, Sovereignty
August 11, 2008
Interview
Stephen Sestanovich, CFR’s top Russia expert,says the fighting between Georgia and Russia is more a “war” than a “conflict,” and could have far-reaching consequences.
See more in Georgia, Russian Fed., Wars and Warfare
June 3, 2008
Op-Ed
Slate
Because the Bush administration has weakened America’s global position, it will leave its successor less freedom to embrace new foreign policy ideas, even some good ones, says Stephen Sestanovich
See more in U.S. Strategy and Politics, Presidency
February 27, 2008
Transcript
Stephen R. Sestanovich and Charles A. Kupchan discuss the state of the upcoming Russian elections and what the results might mean for the future.
See more in Russian Fed., Elections
February 27, 2008
Audio
Listen to CFR Senior Fellow Stephen Sestanovich discuss the upcoming presidential elections in Russia and the recent declaration of independence by Kosovo.
See more in Russian Fed., Kosovo, Elections
February 26, 2008
Interview
Stephen Sestanovich, CFR’s top Russia expert, says despite the stage-managed appearance of Russia’s political transition, jockeying among power factions is taking place behind the scenes.
See more in Russian Fed., Elections
February 22, 2008
Transcript
Speakers discuss the current situations in Russia ahead of upcoming presidential elections.
See more in Russian Fed., Elections
December 17, 2007
Op-Ed
Wall Street Journal
See more in Europe/Russia, Economics, Business & Foreign Policy, Geoeconomics
December 11, 2007
Interview
Stephen Sestanovich, CFR’s top Russia expert, says President Vladimir Putin’s choice for a successor, Dmitri Medvedev, is a relative “liberal.”
See more in Russian Fed., Elections
November 30, 2007
Op-Ed
International Herald Tribune
Stephen Sestanovich writes that "you have to go back to Nikita Khrushchev to find a Russian leader using the pungent anti-Western rhetoric that Putin has made the staple of his campaign."
See more in Russian Fed.
October 24, 2007
Interview
Stephen Sestanovich, CFR’s top Russia expert, says President Vladimir Putin seems to be enjoying keeping the world guessing as to whether he will seek to become prime minister of Russia.
See more in Russian Fed., Elections, Economic Development, Treaties
July 3, 2007
Interview
Stephen Sestanovich, CFR’s top Russia expert, says the informal summit at Kennebunkport, Maine, restored nuclear issues as “the core of the relationship.”
See more in Russian Fed., Trade, Missile Defense
June 1, 2007
Transcript
CFR Senior Fellows Charles A. Kupchan, Stephen Sestanovich, and Gene B. Sperling brief the press on the upcoming G8 Summit.
See more in Climate Change, International Organizations
May 17, 2007
Testimony
See more in Russian Fed., Grand Strategy
Updated: March 2007
Academic Module
Since the end of the Cold War, successive American administrations have sought to create a relationship with Russia that they called a “partnership.” This report asserts that this is the right long-term goal, but it is unfortunately not a realistic prospect for U.S.-Russia relations over the next several years. This report is also available in Russian.
See more in United States, Russian Fed., U.S. Strategy and Politics
January 24, 2007
Op-Ed
The Washington Post
See more in United States, Iraq, Defense Strategy, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Foreign Policy History, Grand Strategy
In The Closing of the American Border, Edward Alden goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the Bush administration’s struggle to balance security and openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In Termites in the Trading System, Jagdish Bhagwati reveals how the rapid spread of preferential trade agreements endangers the world trading system.
America Between the Wars explores how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today.
Complete list of CFR Books.
This report lays out a thoughtful agenda for U.S. policy toward the Democratic Republic of Congo, arguing that what happens there should matter to the United States--for humanitarian reasons as well as economic and strategic ones.
In this report, CFR Senior Fellow Michael A. Levi analyzes the potential use of deterrence in preventing terrorist groups from acquiring nuclear weapons and recommends a new approach to U.S. declaratory policy, as well as ways to improve U.S. capabilities to determine the sources of terrorist attacks.
Complete list of Council Special Reports.
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
Gary Samore
Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1.212.434.9627
gsamore@cfr.org
Sebastian Mallaby
Director of the Maurice R. Greenberg Center for
Geoeconomic Studies, Deputy Director of Studies, and Paul A. Volcker Senior
Fellow for International Economics
smallaby@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9753
jhill@cfr.org
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.
