Russia’s Thug-ocracy and New York State Politics in the Spotlight
Politics from Moscow to Albany will take center stage at the Cazenovia Forum this Fall, as the longstanding lecture series hosts an expert on contemporary Russian political culture and the host of the public radio’s The Capitol Pressroom program.
Speaking on Friday, September 28, at 7 p.m. at the Catherine Cummings Theater will be Colgate University professor Nancy Ries, who has published extensively on Russia and on organized crime in that country. Her topic will be “Thugocracy: Oligarchs, Mafias, the Kremlin, and the Trump Presidency.”
In her presentation, Ries will discuss how the collapse of the Soviet Union gave rise to an interlocked network of global mafias that helped bring Vladimir Putin to power and meddled in U.S. elections. She will present a road map for understanding the practices and goals of the kleptocratic networks that were transformed and amplified with the fall of communism, as well as suggest what tools democratic societies have to counteract the impacts of gangster-style politics.
In October, the Forum will, for the second time, host Susan Arbetter, the Emmy Award-winning host and producer of The Capitol Pressroom, which broadcasts live daily from the third floor of the State Capitol and airs statewide on public radio stations. Locally, the program airs nightly at 8 p.m. on WRVO-FM.
That event will take place on Friday, October 19, at 7 p.m. at the Catherine Cummings Theatre.
From her years of interviewing politicians, government officials, activists, political reporters in Albany, Arbetter is widely acclaimed for her understanding and perceptions of how state politics and government works — and doesn’t work. For the Caz Forum audience, she will share her insights on the recent primary election results and the upcoming general election for governor and statewide and legislative offices, as well as respond to audience questions about any aspect of New York State government and the people involved in it.
Arbetter’s previous appearance at the Cazenovia Forum in 2010 drew rave reviews from those who attended, with many commenting that her frank assessments of Albany dysfunction were not only refreshing and humorous but also highly illuminating.
As always, these two Cazenovia Forum events will be followed by a reception, during which audience members will have a chance to engage personally with the speakers.
More information can be found at www.cazenoviaforum.com.
