LYME/OLD LYME – Jan. 7 UPDATE: This program as been postponed until later this year, “due to circumstances beyond our control,” according to a press release issued yesterday by SECWAC. the group’s next presentation will be held Wednesday, Jan. 27, when New York Times and New Yorker journalists, Peter Baker & Susan Glasser will discuss their new book, The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III.
The Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) presents David Abramson speaking on the Russia-China relationship at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, via Zoom. The virtual presentation is free for members; $20 for non-members. Registration is required.
Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have flirted with and talked around the prospect of a Sino-Russian alliance, but the truth is both sides are reluctant to commit to alliances in general because of the various restraints they impose on members. Uncertainties about future U.S. foreign policy and shifts in the world order heighten those uncertainties.
Dr. David Abramson will discuss these issues from Moscow’s perspective and assess the chances that its increasingly warm and reciprocated public rhetoric about their “comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination” is leading towards a formal alliance.
Dr. Abramson is senior analyst covering Russia’s relations with Asia for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. He previously worked for many years as a Central Asia analyst, focusing primarily on domestic and regional politics and Islamic trends in Eurasia.
During 2001-2005, Dr. Abramson spent four years in the Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom, monitoring and promoting religious freedom as an element of U.S. foreign policy, advising on outreach to the Muslim world, and engaging with Muslim-American communities.
Dr. Abramson has taught at Georgetown and George Washington Universities and published on Islam, foreign assistance in Central Asia, and anthropologists working in national security. His most recent publication is a chapter on Islam and state policies in Uzbekistan in “Islam, Society, and Politics in Central Asia.”
Raised in Storrs, CT, he later earned his B.A. in Russian language and literature at Wesleyan University and his Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at Indiana University.
Abramson’s presentation is part of the SECWAC 2021 monthly Speaker Series.
Register in advance at https://scwac.wildapricot.org/
Editor’s Note: SECWAC is a regional, nonprofit, membership organization affiliated with the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA). The organization dates back to 1999, and has continued to arrange at least 8-10 meetings annually, between September and June. The meetings present a range of topics in international affairs, foreign policy and diplomatic history, and are hosted at venues along the I-95 corridor, welcoming members and guests from Stonington to Old Saybrook, and beyond.
SECWAC’s mission is “to foster an understanding of issues of foreign policy and international affairs through study, debate, and educational programming.” It provides a forum for nonpartisan, non-advocacy dialogue between members and speakers, who can be U.S. policymakers, educators, authors, and other experts on foreign relations. Learn more at http://secwac.org.
CALENDAR LISTING: Southeast Connecticut World Affairs Council (SECWAC) presents David Abramson on Tuesday, January 12, 2021, 6:00 p.m. via Zoom. Free for members; $20 for non-members. Registration is required in advance. Annual membership of SECWAC is $85; $25 for young professionals under 35, and free for students and educators; corporate membership available for $1,000 (contact SECWAC for details).