Name: Stephen Kotkin | Stalin: Power, Geopolitics and Ideas (1.22.2015) by The Ellison Center at the University of Washington in Lectures 3
Duration: 42 min 58 s
Description: Princeton Russian history professor Stephen Kotkin presents a lecture based on his book Stalin - Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 at the University of Washington in January 2015. Dr. Kotkin's visit was made possible by the Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies Center and the Department of History.

Lectures 3

On Wednesday, January 28, in a talk sponsored by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Princeton professor and Hoover fellow Stephen Kotkin discussed his newly published book Stalin, Volume 1: Paradoxes of Power, 1878–1928. Based on extensive research, the book is the first volume of his trilogy on the life and times of the Soviet dictator. Kotkin's biography focuses on Stalin's role in the Russian revolution and his subsequent rise to power within the Bolshevik hierarchy. It also situates Stalin's political career in the wider context of Russian and world history.

Stephen Kotkin Presents New Biography of Stalin

Princeton Russian history professor Stephen Kotkin presents a lecture based on his book Stalin - Paradoxes of Power 1878-1928 at the University of Washington in January 2015. Dr. Kotkin's visit was made possible by the Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies Center and the Department of History. 

Stephen Kotkin | Stalin: Power, Geopolitics and Ideas (1.22.2015)

In the run-up to the 2026 FIFA Men's Soccer World Cup, Ron Krabill, Global Sport Lab Podcast Host, Director of the Global Sport Lab, and Professor in Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at the University of Washington Bothell, along with Jesús Hidalgo, a graduate adviser for the UW's Jackson School of International Studies who teaches a class about soccer and international studies, interview Laurent DuBois, John L. Nau III Bicentennial Professor of the History & Principles of Democracy and the Academic Director of the Karsh Institute of Democracy at the University of Virginia. DuBois is the author of seven books, including "Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France" and "The Language of the Game: How to Understand Soccer," among others. His writings on soccer have appeared in The Atlantic, The New Republic, The New York Times and Sports Illustrated. Recorded on January 10, 2025.

The Global Sport Lab, based in the UW's Henry M. Jackson School, is supported by over a dozen UW departments and schools and was founded in 2024. The Lab uses the lens of sport to explore the big challenges of our global world, such as inequity, politics, injustice, human rights, popular culture, democracy and the economy. 

Music credit: “Merci Kylian” by Laurent Dubois. Full song "Merci Kylian": https://music.apple.com/us/album/merci-kylian/1734840482?i=1734841106
Music label: https://www.wotiproduction.com/music-1

UW Global Sport Lab Podcast (ep.1): Interview with Laurent Dubois

Ron Krabill, Global Sport Lab Podcast Host, Director of the Global Sport Lab, and Professor in Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at the University of Washington Bothell, and Danny Hoffmann, Director of the Jackson School of International Studies and co-founder of the Global Sport Lab, interview Markku Jokisipilä, a distinguished professor of history at the University of Turku in Finland and rowing champion, about the Soviet Union's mobilization of hockey as a tool of diplomacy during the Cold War and through to Putin's regime. Recorded on January 24, 2025.

The Global Sport Lab, based in the UW's Henry M. Jackson School, is supported by over a dozen UW departments and schools and was founded in 2024. The Lab uses the lens of sport to explore the big challenges of our global world, such as inequity, politics, injustice, human rights, popular culture, democracy and the economy. 

Music credit: “Merci Kylian” by Laurent Dubois. Full song "Merci Kylian": music.apple.com/us/album/merci-ky…0482?i=1734841106; Music label: www.wotiproduction.com/music-1

UW Global Sport Lab Podcast (ep. 2): Interview with Markku Jokisipilä

Ron Krabill, University of Washington Global Sport Lab Podcast Host, Director of the Global Sport Lab, and Professor in Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at UW Bothell, along with Cayley Cook, faculty and Director of Journalism, UW Department of Communication, discuss gender and development and sport in Africa, especially women and girls in soccer, with guest visitor Martha Saavedra. Saavedra is Associate Director of the Center for African Studies, University of California, Berkeley, where she manages the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and other African-focused research, fellowship, and public programs. Trained in international studies and political science, Saavedra has taught in California, Ohio, and Madrid. Her research has been on agrarian politics in Sudan, gender and development and sport in Africa. She is a board member of Sports Africa and Soccer Without Borders. Recorded on May 15, 2025.

The Global Sport Lab, based in the UW's Henry M. Jackson School, is supported by over a dozen UW departments and schools and was founded in 2024. The Lab uses the lens of sport to explore the big challenges of our global world, such as inequity, politics, injustice, human rights, popular culture, democracy and the economy.

Music credit: “Merci Kylian” by Laurent Dubois. Full song "Merci Kylian": music.apple.com/us/album/merci-ky…0482?i=1734841106
Music label: www.wotiproduction.com/music-1

Photo credit: Miles Saavedra Tann

UW Global Sport Lab (ep.3) Interview with Martha Saveedra

On the eve of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Football Club’s arrival in Seattle to face the Sounders in their final group match of the Club World Cup, the Director of the UW Global Sport Lab, Ron Krabill, sat down with two French scholars to discuss the European champions and their cultural and political significance within France and worldwide. Stéphane Mourlane (Professor of contemporary history and sport at the University of Aix-Marseilles) and David Do Paço (French Attaché for Academic Cooperation) explore PSG’s history as a fan-owned club, their purchase by the Qatari Sports Investments (QSI) Fund, and the evolution of their supporters from the glamor of the French elite to an increasingly global fan base. Special thanks to the Villa Albertine for making this conversation possible. Recorded June 19, 2025.  

The Global Sport Lab, based in the UW's Henry M. Jackson School, is supported by over a dozen UW departments and schools and was founded in 2024. The Lab uses the lens of sport to explore the big challenges of our global world, such as inequity, politics, injustice, human rights, popular culture, democracy and the economy.

Music credit: “Merci Kylian” by Laurent Dubois. Full song "Merci Kylian": music.apple.com/us/album/merci-ky…0482?i=1734841106; Music label: www.wotiproduction.com/music-1

Photo credit: Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/by Leandro Neumann Ciuffo

UW Global Sport Lab (ep.4): Paris Saint-Germain F.C. vs Seattle Sounders F.C.

Lauri Malksoo gives the keynote address at the 2025 REECAS Northwest Conference, an ASEEES regional conference which takes place annually at the University of Washington. Lauri Mälksoo is Professor of International Law at the University of Tartu in Estonia and member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. During the academic year 2023-2024, he was fellow at the Institut d’études avancées (IEA) in Paris. He earned his law degree at the University of Tartu in 1998, his LL.M. at Georgetown University in 1999 and doctorate at Humboldt University Berlin in 2002. He has subsequently had fellowships at NYU School of Law, at the University of Tokyo and at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars (in Washington, DC). He is member of the Institut de Droit International and since 2021, of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe. He is an editor-in-chief of the Baltic Yearbook of International Law (at Brill) and is member of the editorial board of the Review of Central and East European Law. Among his publications are monographs Illegal Annexation and State Continuity: The Incorporation of the Baltic States by the USSR'(2nd ed., 2022, Brill) and Russian Approaches to International Law (OUP, 2015). He has published widely on the history of international law related to Russia and the Soviet Union, as well as on current developments and cases in international law.

Lauri Malksoo | Russia, the Soviet Union, and Imperial Continuity in International Law

On July 24, 2025, three members of the U.S. Sepak Takraw National Team gave a demonstration and talk at the University of Washington, thanks to support from the UW's Center for Southeast Asia & Its Diasporas. That same day Ron Krabill, Director of the UW Global Sport Lab, sat down with them as well as a software engineer based in Washington, D.C. who played Takraw in Tamil Nadu, India, and the Executive Director of the Cambodian-American Community Council of Washington, who also received a Master's in Southeast Asian Studies at the UW's Jackson School, to discuss how Takraw is a Southeast Asian indigenous game that in recent years has been spreading to other parts of Asia, Africa, and the U.S. In the U.S. it is an important activity that builds community and connects Southeast Asian migrants and refugees to their heritage in the region.

The Global Sport Lab, based in the UW's Henry M. Jackson School, is supported by over a dozen UW departments and schools and was founded in 2024. The Lab uses the lens of sport to explore the big challenges of our global world, such as inequity, politics, injustice, human rights, popular culture, democracy and the economy.

Music credit: “Merci Kylian” by Laurent Dubois. Full song "Merci Kylian": music.apple.com/us/album/merci-ky…0482?i=1734841106; Music label: www.wotiproduction.com/music-1

UW Global Sport Lab (ep.5): Interview with US and Indian Takraw Players

Zaria Court is a newly-opened sports, entertainment, and cultural district located next to Amahoro Stadium and BK Arena (home of the Basketball Africa League) in the heart of Kigali, Rwanda. Zaria Court seeks to become a model for African urban development centered around sports and related activities. Join the Director of the Global Sport Lab, Ron Krabill, as he sits down with Che Rupari, Brand and Campus Manager for Zaria Court Kigali, and UW professor Ben Gardner to discuss the challenges and opportunities of using sports and sports infrastructure for economic development, tourism, and nation building in post-genocide Rwanda.

The Global Sport Lab, based in the UW's Henry M. Jackson School, is supported by over a dozen UW departments and schools and was founded in 2024. The Lab uses the lens of sport to explore the big challenges of our global world, such as inequity, politics, injustice, human rights, popular culture, democracy and the economy.

Music credit: “Merci Kylian” by Laurent Dubois. Full song "Merci Kylian": music.apple.com/us/album/merci-ky…0482?i=1734841106; Music label: www.wotiproduction.com/music-1

Photo credit: Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/by Leandro Neumann Ciuffo

UW Global Sport Lab (ep. 6): Sport in Post-Genocide Rwanda

Hoover research fellow Stephen Kotkin discusses Conquest’s revelatory work on life behind the Iron Curtain,  noting that Conquest definitively established the colossal scale of Soviet horrors, correctly identified their source in Marxist ideas and practices, and underscored the legions of Western dupes who retailed Soviet lies, beginning when Stalin was alive and decades thereafter.

Stephen Kotkin on Robert Conquest’s Conquering the Former Soviet Union

Stephen Kotkin's masterful biography of Joseph Stalin has a very keen analysis of the outbreak of the First World War.  I discuss some of the relevant points made.  We draw some general conclusions from these lessons.

Rolling The "Iron Dice":  Outbreak Of The First World War

The Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies at the University of Washington promotes in-depth interdisciplinary study of all major post-communist subregions - Eastern and Central Europe, the Baltic region, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and Russia - in order to understand the legacies of the imperial and communist past as well as to analyze the emerging institutions and identities that will shape Eurasia's future. 

We share audio of interesting and relevant events hosted by our Center. 

Stephen Kotkin | Stalin: Power, Geopolitics and Ideas (1.22.2015)

The Ellison Center at the University of Washington

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