From Sochi to the Crimea: Episodes in the Rise of a New Cold War

Russian authorities had high hopes that the Sochi Olympics would serve as the international debut of a new Russia, freed from the stigma of the Soviet period and the difficult years of transition that followed. Instead, the Games and subsequent performances in Ukraine have reinforced old identities on the world stage. William Nickell, who is writing a book on Sochi, will examine the roles and rhetoric adopted by Russia in 2014, as well as the interpretations they have received in the west.