CNN foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty will sit down with Ellison Center Director Scott Radnitz to discuss the role of resurgent Russia and implications for the US on January 14 at UW’s Kane Hall. Dougherty was the CNN Moscow bureau chief from 1997  to 2005, but actively covered events in Russia and the former Soviet

The link between the UW and Baltic singing traditions will be strengthened again this January as Guntis Šmidchens, head of the Baltic Studies Program, releases his new book, The Power of Song. The book explores the Baltic Singing Revolution of the 1980s and 1990s — a non-violent resistance movement to regain independence from the Soviet Union. Read

by Volodymyr Lysenko Nine years ago, when the pro-democratic Orange Revolution in Ukraine was victorious, Ukrainians had high hopes for positive change in all areas of their lives and brighter futures for their children. But, unfortunately, the new leaders of the country were unable to effectively coordinate their liberal efforts and failed to fulfill the

by Taylor Zajicek Tucked just west of the Urals, Bashkortostan occupies the easternmost edge of European Russia. Despite being acquired by Ivan IV nearly 500 years ago, the minority republic retains and boasts its Turkic roots. The state-directed history of the region deemphasizes this imperial acquisition in favor of a narrative of diversity and multiethnic

by Suze Rutherford Amid the spectacular natural beauty of Pankisi, Tusheti, and the rest of Georgia; among all the quick smiles and sudden humor and endless generosity of spirit; in spite of the incredible bounty of the autumn harvest; nestled next to the dreams of children; lying just beneath the surface of a warm hello;

by Jack Coombes After graduating from the University of Washington in 2011 with an MAIS in REECAS, I accepted a position as resident director of American Councils’ Russian language program in Vladimir, Russia. I still remember how excited I was on my first day of work. It felt like two years of intensive graduate study

The Twentieth Annual Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies Northwest Conference Saturday, April 26, 2014 Portland State University Portland, Oregon The Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies at the University of Washington and the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Portland State University are currently soliciting papers, panels or

By Indra Ekmanis On July 7, 40 University of Washington choral students stood 5,000 miles from home surrounded by a 15,000 member choir singing patriotic songs in an obscure Baltic language. The UW delegation was one of only two non-Latvian choirs to participate in the Latvian cultural event of the decade, the XXV National Song

Ellison Center Director Scott Radnitz looks at China’s strategies for integrating ethnic Uighurs in his latest Foreign Policy Magazine article. Radnitz and co-author Sean Roberts argue that neither sticks nor carrots are working to integrate the population. Rather, the Chinese government’s outdated development strategy is at the root of increasing instability. Modernization and material goods did not buy

by Christi Anne Hofland This article is based on a paper presented at the Nineteenth Annual Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies Northwest Conference in April 2013. Since independence in 1991, Ukraine has struggled with uncertainty as it attempts to solidify a national identity and forge a path for its future. One of its greatest