David Kramer’s latest book details rise of Putin regime, aggression toward U.S. and the West
Former assistant secretary of state under President George W. Bush and an internationally known expert on Russia, the Ukraine and human rights, David J. Kramer has been named a senior fellow at the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs at FIU.
Regularly quoted in national and international media on U.S.-Russia relations, such as the Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election, Kramer recently published his first book, Back to Containment: Dealing with Putin’s Regime, detailing the post-Soviet era dynamics that brought Vladimir Putin to power.
Kramer will discuss his book and Putin’s threat to the U.S. at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Books & Books in Coral Gables.
The conversation will highlight Putin’s efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election as well as the Russian president’s aggressive human rights abuses; military action against neighboring countries; and cyberattacks. Free copies of Kramer’s book will be available.
“In the past few years, U.S.-Russian relations have become particularly challenging, largely due to the actions of the Putin regime,” said Kramer. “Preventing tensions in the relationship from exploding into full-blown confrontation is in everyone’s interests, but this cannot be achieved by sacrificing Russia’s neighbors to a Russian sphere of influence, swallowing our concerns about the appalling human rights situation inside Russia, or appearing weak in the face of Putin’s threatening behavior.”
Before joining FIU, Kramer worked in Washington, D.C. for more than 24 years, eight of those at the U.S. Department of State, where he served as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, among other positions, including as a senior advisor to the Undersecretary for Global Affairs and a member of the State Department’s policy planning staff.
Senior fellows devote their two-year residence at FIU to research, teaching and the creation of new engagement opportunities for students. Previous fellows include Manny Diaz, former mayor of Miami; Kimberly Green of the Green Family Foundation; and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
An e-book version of Kramer’s book is available for download here for Kindle or here for other e-book platforms.
