From Union to Republic: US Diplomacy and the Dissolution of the Soviet Empire

S020 (Belfer Case Study), CGIS South
1730 Cambridge St.
Cambridge
Tue., Sep. 22, 2026, 4:30 – 6:05 p.m.



As the Soviet Union unraveled in the late 1980s and early 1990s, power and legitimacy shifted rapidly from the Union center and its leader Mikhail Gorbachev to the republics. During this turbulent period, the United States emerged as a respected and trusted actor, whose engagement was valued both in Moscow and the newly assertive republican capitals. The panel revisits the dramatic end of the USSR, featuring first-hand accounts of top U.S. diplomats who navigated the complexities, challenges, and hopes of that transition – working with Soviet and post-Soviet leaders to manage nuclear risks, support political and economic change, and redefine relationships with the emerging independent states.

Gazette Classification: Humanities, Lecture, Social Sciences
Organization/Sponsor: Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies
Speaker(s): Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall , Ashton B. Carter Visiting Professor of the Practice of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School , James F. Collins , Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia (1997-2001) , George Krol , Retired Career Diplomat, Adjunct Professor, U.S. Naval War College , Nargis Kassenova , Senior Fellow and Director, Program on Central Asia, Davis Center
Cost: Free
Ticket Web Link: www.eventbrite.com…
Contact Info: [email protected]
Harvard Key Required: No
More info: daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu…