Moscow Times - Russia's Real Friends in the West

For the last nine years, President Vladimir Putin has hosted the Valdai International Discussion Club, devoting time and attention to leading Russia experts from around the world. Putin's interest in these discussions suggests that he is open to alternative perspectives about Russia's development and global role. But his government's position toward nongovernmental institutions with foreign ties and foreign organizations operating in Russia raises concerns that it has lost sight of the value of international cooperation.

Read Deana Arsenian's "Russia's Real Friends in the West" in The Moscow Times