The March 4 Delaware Great Decisions program will focus on a highly pertinent topic — “Russia Under Putin.”

This week’s presenter, Dr. Stephen Tull, is a graduate of Delaware Hayes High School and the Ohio Wesleyan University. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

During Friday’s virtual program, which will take place at noon on Zoom, Tull will focus on the point that modern Russia (elites and populace) has the age-old foreign-policy outlook of a country surrounded. In Ukraine, Putin and the military are driving to build back the old buffer zone and harden the frontier. Are the Russian people ready to support Putin’s actions that reflect this perspective? Putin seems determined to reestablish Russia’s place as a world power and re-secure the Soviet-era sphere of influence. Is the Russia we are seeing today uniquely of Putin’s making or would things be any different with another leader?

Tull will use his expertise to address these concerns having worked directly on international affairs on behalf of the United Nations starting in 1996 at eight duty stations in Central Europe. He lived in Russia for three years, Kazakhstan for six years, and the former Yugoslavia for eight years. A major focus of his work has been coordination of humanitarian affairs and development.

There are a couple of options for accessing the link to Friday’s Zoom program. Interested parties can email Skip Cornett, committee chair, at [email protected] for the link or visit the Delaware Great Decisions Facebook page to access the link at www.facebook.com/greatdecisionsdeloh.