#BattleFest2017: Putin’s Russia - a new Cold War?

The Russian government is now routinely portrayed as a threat to the West, both on the international stage, in Ukraine and Syria, and in domestic politics, accused of interfering in elections. Russia is certainly back on the world stage and no longer prepared to accept Western-backed regime change, but to what extent does Russia represent a threat? Does Russia have legitimate interests that it is entitled to defend as much as Britain is? Is Putin simply playing a weak hand well? Does Russia loom large, not because it is relatively strong, but because Western governments themselves lack direction? SPEAKERS Mary Dejevsky former foreign correspondent in Moscow, Paris and Washington; special correspondent in China; writer and broadcaster Dr Tara McCormack lecturer, international politics, University of Leicester Dr Lukasz Pawlowski managing editor & columnist, Kultura Liberalna Sir Adam Thomson KCMG director, European Leadership Network