Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Distinguished Professor of Historical Studies, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS); Local Affiliate, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Professor of History, University of Toronto; Emeritus Professor of International History, Oxford University; Engelsberg Chair in History and International Affairs, IDEAS at the London School of Economics
Associate Senior Lecturer on Social Studies & Assistant Director of Curricular Development, Center for Hellenic Studies, Harvard University; Faculty Associate & Seminar Co-chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
Based on secret records of White House-Kremlin contacts, Sarotte's research shows how, in the 1990s, the United States overcame Russian resistance to expand NATO, ultimately bringing the alliance to a billion people. But it also reveals how Washington’s hardball tactics, combined with Moscow’s self-inflicted wounds, undermined a potentially lasting partnership during the decade culminating in Vladimir Putin’s rise to power. On the 30th anniversary of the Soviet Union's collapse, Sarotte shows how NATO expansion transformed the era between the Cold War and COVID. In this seminar, we will also address the relevance of this book for issues of EU expansion in the 1990s.