Welcome to the first episode of World Class with Michael McFaul. In this series, we bring you conversations between FSI Director and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul and top researchers at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI).
In the American psyche, Russia has moved from a remnant of the Cold War to the top of headlines around the world. How did we get here? Russia experts Michael McFaul and Kathryn Stoner, the director and deputy director of Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, discuss how Russia’s history lead to President Putin’s rise to power, why he moved toward a more authoritarian regime, and how Russia’s relationship with the United States has changed, particularly since President Trump took office. For more Russia expertise, be on the lookout for Kathryn Stoner’s upcoming book, Resurrected? Russia’s Return as a Global Power.
If you like what you hear, you can get additional content from scholars at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies by following us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and by subscribing to our newsletters and updates.

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