Russian and U.S. students begin video conversation
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Even with the collapse of
comrnunism in Russia and the greatly increased flow of people,
ideas, goods and money across its borders, it is the opinion
of one foreign relations expert that "Russians and Americans
just don't know each other. We still think in stereotypes and
don't understand the great diversity of opinions that each culture
contains" Sharyl Cross, SJSU professor of political science
is working to change that state of affairs. She has spent 10
years of her professional life researching, studying and teaching
Russian foreign policy and U.S - Russian relations. She was
a former graduate fellowship scholar at the RAND/UCLA Center
for Soviet Studies and a post doctoral scholar at the Hoover
institution at Stanford. She co-edited a book on U.S.- Russian
relations in 1994 and is co-author of Global Security Beyond
the Millennium: American and Russian Perspectives, released
by Macmillan in 1999. A 1999 Fulbright Scholar,
she was a visiting research scholar and professor at
the Institute of USA and Canada Studies of the Russian Academy
of Sciences and at the Moscow State of Institute of International
Relation (MGIMO). Now back, at SJSU, Cross is taking advantage of high technology to bring U.S. and Russian students closer |
Cross
together. With the support
of Global One Corporation in Moscow and several other Russian and
U.S educational and corporate sponsors, she has arranged a series
of five live teleconferences between SJSU and MGIMO. Most recently,
16 students from the two schools traded views on U.S. - Russian
relations (see box). "It was amazing learning
experience for us," says political science major and conference
participant Heather Cook. "To prepare, we had spent the whole semester
reading articles from the St. Petersburg Times. We were all
nervous about whether the conference would be this heated political
debate-but it was more like a conversation. We found out we do have
a lot in common with the Russian students, even though we have differences
of opinion." Future teleconferences Focus
on U. S. and Russian Domestic Politics & Bilateral Relations
(May 2000); Women: Politics, Leadership, Society & Global Issues
and Economic Relations and the Future. (May 2001) |
Comments from teleconference participants
(as reported in the Spartan Daily)
On the conference:
"Even though we live great distances apart, we're not very different.
We share opinions. Government officials could learn from us."
Pavel Iliev, international economic relations and international finance
major, Moscow State Institute of International Relations
On U.S. aid to Russia:
"In times of economic crisis and recession, the United States shouldn't
be giving out loans, but assisting Russia. It's (the loans that are) making
problems worse."
Leo Davila, political science major and president of the Associated
Students, San Jose State.
On Russia's economic situation:
"It's almost like living in California, where you never know when an earthquake
will come. We don't know the next step of the government. Changes come
very quickly."
Anya Kornilevskaya, international economics major, Moscow Institute
On the importance of a good working relationship between the U.S.
Congress and the Russian Duma:
"We need to get beyond propaganda."
Karim Kahwaji, political science major and president of the international
Relations Association, San Jose State
On Chechnya's efforts to secede from Russia:
"We want to punish terrorists who have committed severe crimes, The conflict
is internal."
Sergey Likhosherstov, international law major, Moscow Institute
Posted
on Fri, Apr. 25, 2003
While
students in both countries spoke sincerely, knowledgeably and often at
length, there were some all-American moments. One was when San Jose student
Robert Molnar said that, as strange as it might sound, looting in Iraq
could be considered ``democracy in action'' -- the freedom to act after
the toppling of a repressive regime.