On September 15, 2015, Colonel Robert Hamilton visited the Dickinson Russian Department to talk with students about his research on Russia’s foreign policy in the “near abroad”—countries that border Russia and were part of the former Soviet Union. About 45 students and faculty members came together over the lunch hour to discuss the recent conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine, as well as to learn more about patterns of Russian foreign policy and military action in Georgia, Moldova, and Estonia. Col. Hamilton is Professor of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College. Between 2006 and 2008 he served at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia, leaving just weeks before the August outbreak of the Russian-Georgian war. During the question and answer session, students asked about his time in Georgia, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and the role of nuclear weapons in the Russia-NATO relationship.
