Putin at the podium describing the terms of his constitutional authority to use nuclear weapons.

What Russia Wants

Russia has successfully influenced the election here in the United States in its favor. It’s side is winning the war in Syria. Crimea looks like it will remain in Russia for the foreseeable future and the NATO alliance may become weakened when Donald Trump takes office.

This is pretty much springtime for Putin in Moscow.

But what are Russia’s grander ambitions? Why did they hack the US election? What do they want from the Middle East? From Europe and China? I put these questions and more to James Goldgeier, a Russia expert and the Dean of the School of International Studies at American University. James describes some of Putin’s near term and longer term strategic goals and how a less contentious relationship with the USA–one not based on values, but on individual transactions — may reshape Russian foreign policy and international affairs more broadly.

If you have 20 minutes and want to learn some of Russia’s strategic goals in the Trump era and possibly beyond, have a listen.

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