News Sources: European-Russian Summit

Facing international pressure over human rights problems and restrictions of free speech in Russia, Russian president, Vladimir Putin has challenged Europeans to set up a new joint human rights institute to improve dialogue. Putin made the proposal at his last scheduled summit meeting with the European Union leaders as Russian president, as part of an attempt to lower the temperature in a range of disputes with Europe. Reporters looking for experts to interview on this topic can find them online at the collegenews.org

Andrew A. Michta – Professor of International Studies, Rhodes College - Professor Michta's books include America's New Allies: Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic in NATO and The Government and Politics of Postcommunist Europe. He has been a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, D.C. as well as a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University.

Nick Hayes - Professor of History, Saint John's University - Hayes holds a doctorate in Russian and European history. He has published widely in the academic press and appeared in popular press, including “ABC Nightline” and “CBS Sunday Morning.” He won an Emmy in 1991 for his work on Russia.

Roy Ginsberg - Director of International Affairs Program, Skidmore College - An expert on international relations and specifically, the European Community, Ginsberg believes the EC represents the model for post-Cold War Western Europe, and possibly Central and Eastern Europe. He is founder and former chair of the European Community Studies Association.