On 24 September, RANEPA St. Petersburg students and academics came together for the meeting with Scott Ritter — a former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence analyst and former weapons of mass destruction inspector for the U.S. Special Commission on Iraq, author and commentator. A two-hours open dialogue was moderated by Valery Konyshev, Head of the Chair of Comparative Political Studies, Faculty of International Relations and Politics.

Participants addressed a wide range of issues concerning the current international landscape —from the causes of rising global conflict to the future of the international security architecture. Particular attention was paid to relations between major powers, the role of NATO, and prospects for arms overseeing.

Students had an excellent opportunity to ask questions and get insights from the foreign expert with an extensive field experience in international politics. This type of event fosters a deeper understanding of the logic behind foreign policy decision-making.

For students in International Relations, such meetings are part of their hands-on training: they complement academic studies and help students navigate a professional landscape where it is essential to master analyzing information from diverse sources and understand the positions of various parties.