NATO visit UCL

A delegation from the NATO PA Economics & Security Committee began a three-day visit to London with a session at UCL SSEES on 23 April to discuss recent economic developments in Russia. The delegation was made up parliamentarians from NATO member states eager to tap into the department's research expertise.

The visit began with three talks by SSEES staff: Professor Slavo Radosevic spoke about foreign and domestic led modernisation in Russia; Dr Tomasz Mickiewicz discussed the political economy of Russian business and entrepreneurship; and Dr Christopher Gerry gave a talk on health, wealth and population.

The NATO PA Economic and Security Committee is currently producing a report on the 'Economic Reconstruction in Afghanistan: Development and Security Implications'; 'The Rise of the Indian Economy: Transatlantic and Global Implications'; and 'State and Market in the Russian Economy'. The visit was designed to generate background information on these topics but also focussed on broader political, economic and strategic developments in Russia.

Dr Paul Cook, who organised the visit commented: "The members really enjoy meeting with academics and see this as a way to gain insights that are usually quite different than those they garner in meetings with government officials.

"We had a tremendous response from the delegation, with 39 members attending, including a number of British MPs and members of the House of Lords. The Russian Duma also sent a delegation led by the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Mrs Luboy Sliska."

To find out more about UCL SSEES and the NATO visit, use the links at the top of this article.

Image: Bruce George MP addressing the NATO PA Economics and Security Committee