Turkmenistan is one of the most closed societies in the world. Its media and education system are propaganda tools and all opposition is crushed. Meanwhile, other countries are competing hotly for its vast resources of natural gas. What pressures can help bring about change?

Washington has squandered the opportunity for a fundamentally new U.S.-Russian relationship after the Cold War, says Stephen Cohen.

Jack Matlock, American ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1987 to 1991, corrects a number of pervasive myths about the Cold War, including the belief that it ended with the fall of the Soviet Union and that the U.S. effectively won.

Ambassador Thomas Pickering discusses Russia's role in the unfolding events in Iran and other potential areas of cooperation between Russia and the United States, including missile defense and NATO enlargement.

Russian Ambassador H.E. Mr. Kislyak's comprehensive talk includes his thoughts on U.S.-Russia relations, nuclear proliferation, and Russia today. He also gives us the Russian perspective on the conflict with Georgia.

John Lukacs argues that despite the different attitudes Winston Churchill took towards Russia over a 40-year period, there is an amazing consistency to his view of that nation, whether it was Tsarist or Soviet.

The post-Cold War NATO has expanded, both in mission and membership. In each instance, problems have arisen with Russia. What are the lessons to be learned from these stresses, and what are NATO's prospects?

Georgia and Russia expert Oksana Antonenko discusses the history behind the headlines, and what the future may bring to this troubled region.

Senior Fellow David Speedie interviews Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Eisenhower and USSR and Russian specialist, about Russia's current place in the world and its relations with other countries.

From economic growth to cultural exports, the global distribution of power is shifting from "the West" to the rest of the world. This panel addresses the effects of this emerging new reality.