Jeff Hawn holds bachelor's and master's degrees in international relations from American University and a certificate in Russian studies from St. Petersburg State University in Russia. He previously lived and worked in Washington DC first as a Policy Correspondent for RCR Wireless and later as a global intelligence analyst for the private intelligence company Stratfor. Jeff also serves as a guest lecturer for undergraduate and graduate-level classes at American University on the topics of U.S.-Russian relations, terrorism, and open-source intelligence. Jeff has written and published numerous articles on a wide range of topics.
Provisional thesis title: From Collapse to Crisis: The Fall of the Russian Parliament and the Constitutional Crisis of 1993
Supervisor: Professor Vladislav Zubok
The focus of my research is on the Russian state between 1990 both domestically and in its relationship with the West primarily the United States. My dissertation argues that between 1990 and 1993 Russia was on course towards becoming a genuine democratic state. However the crisis in September-October 1993, would put a end to this and thus be a pivotal moment in shaping the post-Cold War world order. Ensuring that Russia after the USSR would remain first a manage democratic then authoritarian regime.
The focus of my research is two-fold. Examining the internal power struggle that led up to the Crisis of 1993 and how the struggle impacted and was shaped by Russia's relations with the West primarily the United States. While also examining how the US formulated and implemented policy toward Russia, and provided a source of external legitimization for Russia's political class. I see this research as a crucial starting point in establishing a firm foundation for the broader scope of study that I am interested in namely understanding why Russia was not integrated into the Trans-Atlantic system after the Cold War, and what factors brought about the dynamics of the post-Cold War world order we are now contending with. As Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin so aptly put it Хотели как лучше, а получилось как всегда (We wanted the best, but it turned out like always).