Russian Law: "Is There Any?" with Will Pomeranz

The Slavic Connexion

On this episode, recorded in-person at the ASEEES 2022 Convention in Chicago, Lera and Taylor sit down with Will Pomeranz, the director of the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, to talk about his experience practicing Russian law in Russia, the work of the Kennan Institute, the evolution (and devolution) of Russian law from the tsarist period through Vladimir Putin today, and the legality of the referenda in Ukraine. A timely discussion, especially in light of the bombings Poland at the Ukraine-Poland border on November 15th, 2022. We hope you enjoy!

For more information on the Wilson Center and its vast resources, please visit their website: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/. For the Kennan Institute specifically, visit: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/program/kennan-institute.

ABOUT THE GUEST
William Pomeranz is the Director of the Kennan Institute, a part of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars located in Washington, D.C. He also has taught Russian law at the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies (CERES), Georgetown University. He hold a B.A. from Haverford College, a M.Sc. from the University of Edinburgh, a J.D. cum laude from American University, and a Ph.D. in Russian History from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London.

Prior to joining the Kennan Institute, Dr. Pomeranz practiced international law in the United States and Moscow, Russia. He advised clients on investment in the Russian Federation as well as on U.S. anti-money laundering requirements, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and various U.S. sanctions programs. His research interests include Russian legal history as well current Russian commercial and constitutional law. His academic articles have been published in the Russian Review, Slavonic and East European Review, Kritika, Review of Central and East European Law, Demokratizatsiya, and Problems of Post-Communism. He also has provided commentary and conducted numerous press interviews with CNN, NPR, C-SPAN, Reuters, VOA, Bloomberg, and other media outlets.

PRODUCER'S NOTE: This episode was recorded in Chicago's Palmer House Hilton on November 12th, 2022 at the ASEEES Convention.

If you have questions, comments, or would like to be a guest on the show, please email [e-mail] and we will be in touch!

CREDITS
Host/Associate Producer: Lera Toropin (@earlportion)
Host/Associate Producer: Taylor Ham
Associate Producer: Cullan Bendig (@cullanwithana)
Assistant Producer: Sergio Glajar
Assistant Producer: Misha Simanovskyy (@MSimanovskyy)
Social Media Manager: Eliza Fisher
Supervising Producer: Katherine Birch
Recording, Editing, Sound Design: Michelle Daniel

Music Producer: Charlie Harper (@charlieharpermusic) www.charlieharpermusic.com (Main Theme by Charlie Harper and additional background music by Charlie Harper, Makaih Beats, Kirk Osamayo, Independent music collective)

Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (@M_S_Daniel) www.msdaniel.com

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Special Guest: William Pomeranz.