The Foreign Service Journal, February 2012

50 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2 A FSA commemorated the 20th an- niversary of the dissolution of the Soviet Union with a panel discus- sion event on Tuesday, Dec. 6, attended by more than 150 people. The distinguished panel comprised four individuals whowere highly involved in Soviet affairs as diplomats and jour- nalists: Thomas Pickering, former under secretary for political affairs and U.S. am- bassador to the United Nations from 1989 to 1992; Mark Palmer, former deputy assistant secretary of State for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, a for- mer U.S. ambassador toHungary and one of the State Department’s top Soviet ex- perts; and Marvin Kalb, celebrated jour- nalist, reporter for CBS and NBC and former host of “Meet the Press.” Former“Nightline”anchor and broad- cast journalismpioneer TedKoppel served as moderator and shared stories of his own. As a bonus, former Ambassador to the Soviet Union Arthur Hartman at- tended the event and offered his insights on Russia today. The participants drew on a tremen- dous wealth of experience managing and covering U.S.-Soviet and U.S.-Russian re- lations over the last two decades. The journalist/diplomat combination made for a lively discussion, which finished up with a 30-minute question-and-answer session. The talk was especially timely as panelists were able to offer insights into where they believe Russia is heading given recent elections and internal poli- tics there. The discussion began with anecdotes about the final days of the Soviet Union, with Ted Koppel telling about watching the flag of the Soviet Union come down over the Kremlin and the flag of the new Russian Federation being raised for the first time. He described being in the room with General Secretary Mikhail Gor- bachev, noting that he, as an American journalist, was invited to stay in the Krem- lin through this historic event to bear wit- ness in much the same way John Reed, a journalist best remembered for his first- hand account of the Bolshevik Revolu- tion, had been present at the birth of the Soviet Union in 1917. This theme of transition led the con- versation, with some disagreements as to just how possible democracy is for Rus- sia. The panelists also discussed the other former Soviet states and the ongo- ing challenges they face. The limited success of democratization efforts and the struggles these new states face in rec- onciling communist-era traditions and nationalism in an increasingly intercon- nected world were among the central questions that arose. While there was overall agreement among the panelists that progress toward democracy in Russia has been extremely limited over the last 20 years, Amb. Palmer left the audience with the silver lining of hope that the younger generation today may lead the way to real change. AFSA was honored to be able to bring together this panel and to join them in re- flecting on the past and looking to the fu- ture. Support for the event came fromBooz Allen Hamilton, which generously spon- sors AFSA’s Speakers Program. A F S A N E W S (L to R) Veteran journalists Marvin Kalb and Ted Koppel recall the events surrounding the dissolution of the USSR. (L to R) On Dec. 6, Amb. Mark Palmer, Marvin Kalb, Ted Koppel and Amb. Thomas Pickering discuss the fall of the Soviet Union. AFSA Hosts Expert Panel on the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the USSR BY STEFAN GEYER AND SHAWN DORMAN, AFSA STAFF Photos by Donna Ayerst