For centuries, the bear has symbolized Russia--strong yet brutal and clumsy. Three authors, who have encountered that easily provoked and cruel beast either personally or through the lens of history, will detail the dangers and opportunities of dealing with Russia in the 21st century.

Julia Ioffe is a Russian-born American journalist whose articles have appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Foreign Policy, Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, The New Republic, Politico, and The Atlantic....

Michael McFaul is a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University....

Candace Rondeaux is a globally recognized expert on international affairs, U.S. national security, irregular warfare, and the strategic use of organized violence. She is the author of "Putin's Sledgehammer," and is senior director for the Future Frontlines program at New America, an open source public interest intelligence service....


