Dr. D’Anieri agrees that WTO membership should be the top foreign policy priority for Ukraine. However, there are political power struggles and economic interests within Ukraine that are preventing progress towards WTO accession. Darren Hultman of the US State Department offers the State Department position that Ukraine’s prospects for WTO membership are critical to development as well as a free trade agreement with the EU.

Mr. Van Orman plays two tunes from the Altai region of Siberia, describing the instruments used and how the music is influenced from other world regions.

During the years of perestroika and the dissolution of the USSR 1985-1991, Rasputin was caught in the middle of an ideological schism within the Russian Intelligentsia. Dr. Mikkelson goes on to explain Rasputin's life and experience during these years.

Dr. Dickey explains how the historically smaller Balkan (be it Serbians, Croats, or Montenegrins) forces had to bargain, “play the system” or cheat their way to survival. The Austrian Empire and the Ottoman Empire had to bargain for alliance and support, which continued with Tito during and after World War II.

Although exchange rates have remained stable over the last years, inflation has fluctuated greatly. GDP growth has been positive in the last couple of years, around 8.5%. However, since independence in 1991, economic freedoms have worsened and have prevented FDI to boost economic output. On the positive note, the Belarusian labor force is very productive, but may be hurt by the highly protective government.

Nathan Gerth claims that in the energy and security field, the Central Asian states have pursued balance of power politics between U.S., Russia, and China. However, the belief that the "color revolutions" and democratization promotion would have shifted alliances patterns and bring substantial policy change to Central Asia has proved incorrect. Rather, it is the balance of power equation that brings leverage against China, Russia, or the U.S. by the Central Asian states.

Territorial cohesion, Cristin Burke tells us entails economic, political and demographic elements. It is used to develop all aspects of a larger terriotry. Effective national territory is the territory that produces more than the remainder of a country's territory. In the case of kazakhstan, it is the mineral and oil regions that compose the territorial cohesion/national territory where economic output and demographic denisty is the greatest.

Serbian shepherds dance aand a Greek butcher's dance.

Ukraine has to deal with several issues in order to improve economic redistribution. Initially, Ukraine has to improve the business climate to sustain long-term economic development in order to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). Moreover, Ukraine has to fight corruption and gas consumption, and promote economic diversification.

Ingredients for Russian Failure in August 1914 lay within a trinity if interacting failures: failure of collaboration, failulre in command, and failure in method of war planning. Dr. Menning gives the example of the battle of tannenberg where Russia's army was defeated.

The Balkans have acquired and retained the stigma of an unruly, dark place; hence, no country whishes to be associated with being "Balkan." Dr. Debeljak presents the controversies in defining the region with both historic and contemporary reasons. The Slovenians, for example, consider themselves as the bridge between the Balkans and Western Europe, whereas Croats say the Balkan region starts beyond their borders.

In this segment, Mrs. Weir acquaints us to the Uzbek people and her life while living and working in Uzbekistan in the mid-1990s. The Uzbek people are very forthcoming and hospitable, expecting reciprocal generosity. One of the hardest things to adjust to in Uzbekistan was living in a quasi-police state, where there was significant control and surveillance over foreigners. Working as an English teacher, Mrs. Weir got very close to the Uzbek people, its culture and norms.

In his talk, Jay describes his 9 month experience living in Tadjikistan, where as an NSEP scholar (National Security Education Program) he was learning the Uzbek and Russian languages.

Religion was mostly practiced among the elderly during the Soviet period, since young people could lose their jobs (or worse) if they went to church in the Soviet Union. Consequently, much of the formal religion was forgotten by the young. The earlier pagan folk beliefs and folktales, which had never been eradicated by the orthodox church, still managed to survive. Dr. Kipp talks about some of these ancient superstitions, to include throwing salt over their shoulder if they spilt some and how, if your right hand itches, you will have large expenses coming up.

The new People’s Department of Health, established in 1918, was the first National Health Service in the world. With the Soviets in power they sought not only to “emancipate the workers” but also to care for workers’ health. This was seen as a vital national security interest, as the majority of the population was starving and 10 million had died in famine and disease between 1914-1921. The new Peoples Department of Health had the mandate of teaching people to take care of themselves, prescribing a plan of “living the Soviet way,” which excluded smoking and drinking. This plan was highly politicized as tobacco and alcohol were viewed as the “evil, capitalistic burdens.”

Dr. Shore speaks about her book, “Caviar and Ashes,” a biography about a group of European intellectuals who are caught between east and west. Some of these individuals become fanatically committed Marxists, and the story is about “how they made that choice, and about how that choice defined their lives.” The storyline reveals the complex nature of relationships and human identity. She specifically speaks about one of the characters in the story, who out of boredom, desperately wishes for a conflict between love and war.

Mrs. Price and Mrs. Gerth talked about their study abroad experience in Russia. Issues included marriage, gender roles, and popular culture. Gender roles were heavily defined in Russia, where an emphasis for a woman to maintain her appearance, to find and secure a husband, bear children, and maintain the home was prioritized.

Dr. Saul elaborated on the student exchange program initiatives in the Post WWII era, which included Fulbright, the Ford Foundation, and Eisenhower’s People to People Program. Colombia and Harvard were the first universities to establish academic departments on Russian and Eastern European studies. Their primary purpose was to serve the increased need of language and area skills.