Great Power Competition Series:
Standing up to Putin
featuring Vladimir Kara-Murza
Russian opposition politician, author and historian
The Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations, The McCain Institute for International Leadership at ASU and ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law present a series of renowned speakers on Great Power Competition.
The U.S. security strategy has focused on the global war on terrorism since the attacks of September 11, 2001 and while terrorism still exists, the past two administrations have identified Great Power Competition as the political construct guiding U.S. foreign policy. The decline of U.S. global influence, competition from a rising China and a revanchist Russia is the new principal threat of Great Power Competition.
While the Cold War showcased the ideological battle between democracy and communism, the dissolution of the Soviet Union put an end to the threat of communism. However, democracy is under increased threat and China with its state controlled economy and Beijing and Moscow’s increasingly heavy-handed authoritarian systems is challenging democracy. In 2017, then Defense Secretary James Mattis proclaimed that “great-power competition—not terrorism—is now the primary focus of U.S. national security.”
Join us for our second series speaker:
Vladimir Kara-Murza
Russian democracy activist, politician, author, and filmmaker
View Bio
Domestic repression and external aggression have become the hallmarks of Vladimir Putin's regime in Russia. For years, the Kremlin has been attacking both its own citizens who oppose the current regime and neighboring countries that dare to behave independently. Joining us on March 15th, Russian opposition politician, author and historian Vladimir Kara-Murza will speak about the situation in his country and about the importance of standing up to Putin -- both at home and internationally.
Masks will be required during the program except when drinking. There will be no food or beverage service, bottled water will be provided.
This program is complimentary thanks to our sponsors. Guests are welcome.
Registration
In-person
Complimentary registration
Virtual
Complimentary registration
Schedule
Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Speaker Program: 6 PM MT / 9 PM ET
Venue
ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
111 E. Taylor Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(Parking directions)
Presenter
Vladimir Kara-Murza
Vladimir Kara-Murza is a Russian democracy activist, politician, author, and filmmaker. He was a longtime colleague of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov and chairs the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom. Kara-Murza is a former deputy leader of the People’s Freedom Party and was a candidate for the Russian State Duma. He has testified before Parliaments in Europe and North America and played a key role in the adoption of the Magnitsky mechanism that imposed targeted sanctions on Russian human rights violators in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and the European Union.
U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called Kara-Murza “one of the most passionate and effective advocates for passage of the Magnitsky Act”; U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) described him as “a courageous advocate for the democratic process and fundamental universal human rights.”
Twice, in 2015 and 2017, Kara-Murza was poisoned and left in a coma; the attempts on his life were widely viewed as retribution for his work on the Magnitsky sanctions. A subsequent media investigation by Bellingcat and The Insider has identified officers of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) who organized Kara-Murza’s poisonings.
He is a contributing writer at the Washington Post and hosts a weekly show on Echo of Moscow radio, and has previously worked for the BBC, RTVi, Kommersant, and other media outlets.
He has directed three documentary films, They Chose Freedom, Nemtsov, and My Duty to Not Stay Silent; and is the author of Reform or Revolution: The Quest for Responsible Government in the First Russian State Duma and a contributor to several volumes, including Russian Liberalism: Ideas and People, Europe Whole and Free: Vision and Reality, and Boris Nemtsov and Russian Politics: Power and Resistance.
Kara-Murza has led successful international efforts to commemorate Nemtsov, including with street designations in Washington D.C. and Vilnius. He serves as vice president at the Free Russia Foundation, as senior advisor for human rights accountability at Human Rights First, and as senior fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights; and has been a visiting fellow at the University of Chicago, leading a seminar course on contemporary Russia.
Kara-Murza has been profiled on CBS 60 Minutes and NBC Nightly News, and has appeared on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and BBC Newsnight. He is a recipient of several awards, including the Sakharov Prize for Journalism as an Act of Conscience, the Magnitsky Human Rights Award, and the Geneva Summit Courage Award.
He holds an M.A. (Cantab.) in History from Cambridge. He is married, with three children.
