When: Sarasota Mar 28, and Venice, Mar 29, 2013

Speaker Information:
Dr. Robert Barylski was an associate professor in the Department of Government and International Relations at USF Sarasota and former Dean of the university prior to his retirement. He has an undergraduate degree in political science from Brown University and graduate degrees in Russian area studies and political science from Harvard.

An expert on civil-military relations in Russia, he published The Soldier in Russian Politics 1988-1996: Duty, Dictatorship and Democracy under Gorbachev and Yeltsin. He travels to Russia frequently and speaks and writes on political and economic reconstruction in the former Soviet Union. He is particularly interested in the development of oil resources in Russia and the newly independent nations on its borders. In recent years, he has become one of the leading experts on Russian policy towards states and peoples of Islamic heritage. He has also spoken to SILL audiences on the rise of tycoons in the Russian economy and the relationships between Russia, China and Iran. He has made occasional expert contributions to the Voice of America for broadcast to the greater Caspian region and participated in U.S. policy symposia at the U.S. Central Command.

Topic:
“Afghanistan’s Peace What and How”
Dr. Robert V. Barylski examines the fundamental factors for bringing peace to this war torn land and what role the United States may play in that process. Afghanistan has been the focus of world attention since 2001, but little heed has been paid to the country's culture and history in attempting to restore political stability there.

Dr Barylski replaces Dr. Thomas Barfield who has had to cancel due to the serious illness of his wife.