News Release

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September 21, 2005

Jack Matlock Jr., former U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union, will speak at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 26, in the Student Union Jordan Ballroom. Matlock’s talk, titled “Russia’s Future: Democratic or Authoritarian?” will examine whether President Vladimir Putin’s recent authoritarian moves are a necessary prelude to a democratic future or portend a return to Russia’s authoritarian past. His visit is sponsored by the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs and the Boise Committee on Foreign Relations. The event is free and open to the public.

Matlock entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1956 and became one of its premier specialists on the Soviet Union and the Communist world. He was President Reagan's principal adviser on Soviet and European affairs from 1983 to 1987. He served three tours of duty in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. From 1981-1983, Matlock served as ambassador to Czechoslovakia and from 1987-1991, as ambassador to the Soviet Union.

Matlock is the author of many articles and books on Russian literature and history and United States-Russian relations, including “Autopsy of an Empire: The American Ambassador’s Account of the Collapse of the Soviet Union” and his latest book, “Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended.”

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Contact: Ross Burkhart, Department of Political Science, (208) 426-3280, rburkha@boisesetate.edu 

Media Contact: Kathleen Craven, University Communications, (208) 426-3275, kcraven@boisestate.edu

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Last reviewed on Thursday, December 22, 2005