This three session discussion series is a component of the Camden Conference community events program, in connection with the 28th annual Camden Conference, “Russia Resurgent,” 20-22 February 2015 in Camden. It is intended to help participants achieve optimal benefit from participation in the February 2015 Conference. The sessions take place on Mondays, February 2, 2015, February 9, 2015, and March 2, 2015, from 1:00-3:00 pm in the Howard Room of the Blue Hill Public Library.

In the first two sessions, participants will work through a list of questions about Vladimir Putin’s Russia the facilitator deem to be relevant and provocative. In the third session, participants will review and discuss findings and recommendations surfaced during the February conference.

Facilitator/Moderator: Bob Sargent is a former U.S. diplomat whose overseas assignments included Belgium, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Tunisia, Turkey and Vietnam. Born in China of missionary parents, he is curator of “China: Exploring The Interior, 1903-04” a traveling exhibit of photographs of late Qing dynasty China taken by Sedgwick native R, Harvey Sargent. Co-founder of a Maine-China network, Bob visited China most recently in November 2008. Bob is a former member of the Camden Conference Board of Directors and Advisory Board and a three-time conference program chair.

Suggested Reading: The Camden Conference web site includes an excellent list of titles and links to useful internet sources.

The facilitator’s personal list includes the following:

Boris Akunin, The Winter Queen

James Billington, The Icon and The Axe

Masha Gessen, The Man Without A Face

Edward Lucas, The New Cold War

Jason Matthews, Red Sparrow

Anna Politkovskaya, Putin’s Russia

David Remnick, Lenin’s Tomb

Angela Stent, The Limits of Partnership

The website of the Valdai International Discussion Group.

For supplemental data and analysis, participants should draw on personal favorite sources, electronic and otherwise.

To enable full, frank and orderly exchange in discussion, registration for this series will be limited to 15 participants.  For further information, please call Karen Wyatt at 207–374-5515.