On December 31, 1999, Vladimir Putin became acting president of Russia. Twenty years later, he is still the country’s president and will be for the foreseeable future—at least until 2024. But how exactly did he come to occupy such a prominent global role?

SIS professor and former dean James Goldgeier joins Big World to discuss the rise of Vladimir Putin. He relays the historical context of Russia in the 1990s (2:09) as well as what defines a Russian oligarch and why they hold such power in the country (4:06). Professor Goldgeier explains why Putin was picked to be the successor of Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia (6:28), pointing out that free and fair elections were not part of that process (8:37).

What was the international community’s reaction to Putin’s initial rise to power (10:12) and its expectations of his presidency (12:08)? Professor Goldgeier answers these questions and discusses when it became clear that Putin was going to become a more influential figure than he was originally predicted to be (16:41).

He also explains the president’s views of the liberal international order (19:25) and reveals the word that he would use to best describe Putin’s time in power (21:19). Looking to the future, Professor Goldgeier shares his thoughts on if and how Putin might transition out of power in 2024 (23:25) and how his government may impact our 2020 presidential elections (26:40).

During our “Take Five” segment, Professor Goldgeier lists the five big moments in Russia-US relations since the collapse of the Soviet Union and explains why they were important. (13:52).