Masha Gessen & Tom Switzer (2014) | Putin

Festival of Dangerous Ideas

It’s been over 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union and 22 years since Vladimir Putin came to power. Now in the throes of a Ukraine invasion, the Russian regime combats any conflict with an utter disregard for internal opposition and external western pressure.

From the inside, fighting Putin is the only option for Russian activists. From the outside, what are the strategic options for western countries against this authoritarian superpower? Do military action or economic sanctions work? Or do we need to consider less orthodox approaches? In this talk from 2014, in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the shooting down of MH17, Russian journalist & activist Masha Gessen and foreign policy analyst Tom Switzer test different ideas on how to deal with Putin.