Masha Gessen: Putin's War - Against the West

On Wednesday, November 12, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. Cambridge Forum hosted Russian and American journalist, author, and LGBT activist Masha Gessen, discussing “Putin’s War–Against the West.” Her account of Vladimir Putin's rise to power and its devastating impact on the nascent democratic government of Russia (The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin) opened a window onto changing culture of Russia as well as the nature of its powerful and enigmatic leader. Her newest book, Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot, recounts the arrest, trial, and imprisonment of Pussy Riot. What do Gessen's experiences and insights tell us about Russia today? How might this new understanding change America's response to Putin’s actions? Masha Gessen is a Russian and American journalist, author, and activist who writes in both Russian and English and has built a career in journalism in Russia and the United States. Gessen identifies as a lesbian and has written extensively on LGBT rights and help founded the Pink Triangle Campaign in Moscow. She has been described as "Russia's leading LGBT rights activist." Gessen voluntarily left Russia in 2013 when tightening anti-gay and lesbian policies threatened her family. Noted for her opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Gessen’s criticism culminated in the 2012 biography The Man Without A Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin. This was followed by Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot about the Russian feminist punk rock protest group whose performances protesting Putin led to their imprisonment. Gessen is the author of three previous books and has also written extensively for such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, New Statesman, Granta, Slate, Vanity Fair, and U.S. News & World Report. In 2013 she received the Media for Liberty award. This talk was filmed on November 12, 2014, at First Parish in Cambridge.