A discussion with
Anne Applebaum
Journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning Author
@AnneApplebaum

Moderated by
Fred Kempe
President and CEO
Atlantic Council
@FredKempe

Russia’s aggressive moves to annex the Crimean peninsula have the transatlantic community scrambling to provide an appropriate response, while the countries of Central and Eastern Europe once again appear caught between the dichotomy of East and West. The events of the past few months have largely eroded any Western thoughts of a reset with Russia and the international community has questioned whether the sphere of influence behind the Iron Curtain is truly a matter of the past. 

In her newest book, Iron Curtain: Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-56, Anne Applebaum analyzes the history of communism and the development of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe. At the Atlantic Council, Applebaum will discuss her book and will provide a personal outlook on how current events in Ukraine can be traced to the region’s historical circumstances. Following a moderated discussion, there will be an opportunity for questions from the audience.

A celebrated journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Applebaum has written extensively on political and social transitions across Eastern Europe, both before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Previously, she has served as editor at the Economist, the Spectator, and the Washington Post. She is currently director of political studies at the Legatum Institute in London and is married to Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski.