Dr. William E. Pomeranz, addresses members of the George Mason community. Photo by John Nash/OLLI
Distinguished Russian scholar and lecturer, Dr. William E. Pomeranz, addressed members of the George Mason community last week on the current political climate created by President Vladimir Putin in light of recent Russian actions in Syria and Ukraine.
Dr. Pomeranz described how Putin desires to make his country a major player in world politics. “The Russian economy is in bad shape,” however, because of the impact of dropping oil prices and the effect of economic sanctions resulting from Russia’s adventurism into Ukraine.
While the Russian people are feeling a serious economic pinch, Putin’s popularity within the country remains high as he has been able to mask the deteriorating economic situation faced by the Russian people with a strong sense of nationalism derived from Russian actions in Ukraine and the Middle East. How long this imbalance can continue is unpredictable, Dr. Pomeranz noted.
One of Putin’s diplomatic goals is to split the U.S. and European Union’s solidarity in applying economic sanctions as a result of conflict in Ukraine. The sanctions come up for review this summer and already some E.U. businesses want them relaxed to open markets.
Other internal problems Russia is facing are a poor technology base, continued government and business corruption, declining international trade and investment, and minority population unrest. “Russia must begin to solve these and many other internal problems before they can present a serious opinion on the world stage,” said Dr. Pomeranz. Putin wants to maintain an internal status quo and hopes that time is on his side. Both of these remain to be seen, he noted.
It was clear from Dr. Pomeranz’s presentation that understanding Russia today continues to be as challenging as it was during the Cold War when Russia was a part of the former Soviet Union.
Dr Pomeranz currently serves as deputy director of the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies of the Woodrow Wilson Center. The presentation was co-sponsored by the Mason Office of Global Studies and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Mason. OLLI Mason provides first rate educational, social, and cultural opportunities for active seniors in Northern Virginia. More information about OLLI Mason and its events can be found at olli.gmu.edu.