The July 16 summit and press conference in Helsinki brought the words "treason" and "blackmail" into mainstream conversations about the Trump White House and put an unwanted spotlight back on Ambassador Michael McFaul and other Americans with Russian connections. But the most lasting effects of this meeting could be on America's alliances. Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev looks beyond the emotional and personal aspects of the Trump-Russia story and details why a small Balkan nation has become a test for American foreign policy.
The July 16 summit and press conference in Helsinki brought the words "treason" and "blackmail" into mainstream conversations about the Trump White House and put an unwanted spotlight back on Ambassador Michael McFaul and other Americans with Russian connections. But the most lasting effects of this meeting could be on America's alliances. Senior Fellow Nikolas Gvosdev looks beyond the emotional and personal aspects of the Trump-Russia story and details why a small Balkan nation has become a test for American foreign policy.
This podcast contains an excerpt from this May 2018 Public Affairs talk with Ambassador McFaul and touches on Gvosdev's recent essay, "The Montenegro Test."