Negotiating with Russia: Lessons from the Cold War

About this episode

This episode features discussions on the complexities of negotiating with Russia, drawing lessons from the Cold War.

For decades Western policymakers have struggled to understand the mindset of the Russian people and their leaders. This episode of The Transatlantic brings together two Russia experts who provide unique perspectives into the challenges American leaders often face when negotiating with Russian officials. Join James Collins, former Ambassador to Russia, and Wayne Merry, the officer in Embassy Moscow who authored a 1993 dissent cable predicting the adversarial turn of post-Soviet Russia, for a wide-ranging conversation about their combined decades inside Russia, a look inside the Vladimir Putin's world, and their thoughts on what will determine the future of Russia. -- Read E. Wayne Merry's Dissent Cable here: https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/32704-document-1-wayne-merry-dissent-channel-cable-american-embassy-moscow -- Ambassador James F. Collins is an expert on the former Soviet Union, its successor states, and the Middle East. Ambassador Collins was the U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation from 1997 to 2001. Prior to joining the Carnegie Endowment, he served as senior adviser at the public law and policy practice group Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP. Before his…

People in this episode

Guests: James Collins, Wayne Merry

Topics covered

• negotiation
• Russia
• Cold War
• U.S. foreign policy
• diplomacy
• Putin's leadership

Keywords

• Russia
• negotiation
• Cold War
• James Collins
• Wayne Merry
• U.S. diplomacy
• Putin

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Carnegie Endowment, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP

Places: Russia, United States, Moscow

More episodes of The Transatlantic

• Coming of Age in 1968: Youth Music, Politics, and Protest Behind the Iron Curtain · May 19, 2026 · 38 min
• The Dissident Playbook: Soviet Lessons for Putin's Russia · April 28, 2026 · 45 min
• Should free speech be absolute? · April 7, 2026 · 39 min
• Religious Freedom as the Tip of the Spear of Comprehensive Security · March 24, 2026 · 39 min
• Keeping Hope Alive as a Journalist in Exile · March 10, 2026 · 41 min
• What Do Americans Think About Ukraine? Views From a Bike Ride Across America · February 24, 2026 · 35 min