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).
Education:PhD, political science, Harvard University (1978); graduate study, Columbia University (1972-73);
BA, summa cum laude, Cornell University (1972).
Current Research Projects
Past Research Projects
September 1, 2010
Article
The New Republic
Stephen Sestanovich comments on the "short war" within every long war fought by the United States.
See more in Afghanistan, Vietnam, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
July 30, 2010
Article
The New Republic
Stephen Sestanovich discusses Russian president Dmitri Medvedev's recent visit to the United States.
See more in United States, Russian Fed.
June 24, 2010
Interview
CFR's Stephen Sestanovich says Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's meetings in Silicon Valley represent the most interesting development of his U.S. trip, which culminates with a Washington summit where a host of issues will be discussed, including the new START treaty.
See more in United States, Russian Fed., Proliferation
June 23, 2010
Expert Brief
Russia's inaction in response to Kyrgyzstan's ethnic violence reflects a deeper problem with international cooperation, writes CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.
See more in Central Asia, Russian Fed., Conflict Prevention
April 27, 2010
Testimony
Stephen Sestanovich testifies before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-Proliferation, and Trade on the need to repeal the Jackson-Vanik amendment.
See more in Russian Fed., Proliferation, Weapons of Mass Destruction
April 3, 2010
Article
The Daily Beast
Stephen Sestanovich discusses how the Russian subway bombing could hamper President Dmitri Medvedev's efforts at reform.
See more in Russian Fed., Terrorism
March 25, 2010
First Take
The U.S.-Russia agreement to cut nuclear arsenals could prove a major boost to arms control and nonproliferation initiatives, but at least one important strategic disagreement will linger, writes CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.
See more in Proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament
March 17, 2010
Interview
With hopes high that strategic nuclear arms talks are wrapping up, Russia's position on new UN sanctions on Iran will likely figure prominently in U.S. Secretary of State Clinton's trip to Moscow this week, says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.
See more in Russian Fed., Iran, Proliferation
March-April 2010
Article
American Interest
Stephen Sestanovich reviews Russia and the Arabs, by Yevgeny Primakov.
See more in Europe/Russia, Middle East
August 6, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Stephen Sestanovich discusses Vice President Joseph Biden's recent statements on Russia.
See more in United States, Russian Fed., U.S. Strategy and Politics
June 30, 2009
Transcript
CFR Experts Charles D. Ferguson and Stephen Sestanovich discuss the Obama-Medvedev summit.
See more in Russian Fed., Defense/Homeland Security, U.S. Strategy and Politics
July 1, 2009
Interview
CFR's top Russia expert, Stephen Sestanovich, says there is a potential for some hard bargaining to take place over arms control at the July 6-8 summit of U.S. and Russian leaders.
See more in Russian Fed., Defense/Homeland Security, U.S. Strategy and Politics
June 30, 2009
Audio
Listen to CFR Experts Charles D. Ferguson and Stephen Sestanovich discuss the Obama-Medvedev summit.
May 20, 2009
Op-Ed
New York Times
Stephen Sestanovich discusses the Jackson-Vanik amendment and its role in defining American policy toward the Soviet Union.
See more in Russian Fed., U.S. Strategy and Politics, Congress and Foreign Policy
April 24, 2009
Op-Ed
Washington Post
Stephen Sestanovich argues that the president's ability to overhaul the U.S. foreign policy agenda depends heavily on how the administration deals with Congress.
See more in United States, Congress and Foreign Policy
April 1, 2009
Op-Ed
Foreign Policy
Stephen Sestanovich argues that Europe's initial reactions toward President Obama may be in line with history.
See more in Europe/Russia, U.S. Strategy and Politics, Foreign Policy History
March 19, 2009
Testimony
See more in United States, Russian Fed., U.S. Strategy and Politics
February 26, 2009
Transcript
A panel discussion on present and future relations between NATO, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
See more in Russian Fed., NATO
February 25, 2009
Video
Watch experts debate topics such as how NATO should deal with Russia in the aftermath of the war in Georgia, the membership status of Ukraine and Georgia, President Medvedev's proposal for a summit on European security, and others as part of the Council on Foreign Relations "NATO at 60" Symposium.
See more in Russian Fed., NATO, International Organizations
February 25, 2009
Audio
Listen to experts debate topics such as how NATO should deal with Russia in the aftermath of the war in Georgia, the membership status of Ukraine and Georgia, President Medvedev's proposal for a summit on European security, and others as part of the Council on Foreign Relations "NATO at 60" Symposium.
See more in Russian Fed., NATO, International Organizations
CFR experts give their take on the cutting-edge issues emerging in Asia today.
Read the Blog Asia Unbound
Michael Levi examines the science and foreign policy surrounding climate change, energy, and nuclear security. Read the Blog
Explore the global health regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
Explore the past, present, and future of nuclear energy with this new online interactive.
Micah Zenko examines the discrete military operations undertaken by the United States over the past twenty years to discern why they were used, if they achieved their objectives, and what determined their success or failure.
Sebastian Mallaby has written the first authoritative history of hedge funds—from their rebel beginnings to their role in defining the future of finance.
Peter Beinart tells a tale as old as the Greeks—a story about the seductions of success.
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