Roundtable: Russia’s Move South

Renowned historians Ronald Suny, Dominic Lieven, Valentina Izmirlieva, and Thomas de Waal participate in a roundtable discussion titled "Russia's Move South."
They explore Russia's centuries-long drive southward - from escaping the infertile northern lands around Moscow to conquering the fertile Black Sea steppes. Dominic Lieven examines Catherine II's decisive victories over the Ottoman Empire that transformed the balance of power. Thomas de Waal contrasts different imperial strategies: American-style colonization in "New Russia" versus brutal conquest in the North Caucasus and co-optation of elites in the Transcaucasus. Valentina Izmirlieva reveals the ironic story of Russian refugees finally reaching Constantinople - not as conquerors but as exiles who transformed Ottoman urban culture. Ronald Suny challenges Cold War narratives about Soviet formation, showing how the empire emerged from civil war complexity rather than simple Russian conquest.
The roundtable was held on June 27 in Batumi as part of a symposium organized by the Monterey Initiative in Russian Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. The 2025 Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia took place in Batumi, Yerevan, and Tbilisi from June 25 to July 13.