From Russia, with love
In November I spent a week away from classes to participate in the first official American student government delegation to Russia since the fall of the Iron Curtain. The U.S. Congress brings about 700 young emerging Russian leaders to the United States every year to explore American culture, civil society, and politics. But there hadn’t been a reciprocal program. The trip, in short, was extraordinary. The point of the trip was to bring 15 American college student body presidents to Moscow to meet Russian leaders as part of a new diplomatic “reset” in U.S.-Russia relations. It was organized by the Open World Leadership Center of Congress and the Russian Federal Agency on Youth Affairs. The organizers put together an ambitious agenda. According to schedule we were to meet with John Beyrle, the U.S. ambassador to Russia; Svetlana Zhurova, the vice speaker of the Duma, or assembly; Arkady Dvorkovich, Russian President Dmitry...