U.S. Diplomat Sonata Coulter led a BYU Kennedy Center lecture on Feb. 6, discussing Russia’s strategic influence and economic coercion, making it a global threat.
With her time as a counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russia, and experience in foreign affairs both overseas, and now in Washington, Coulter has spent years in national security.
She shared some of this knowledge in her lecture, highlighting the Kremlin’s oppressive actions of power and how people can understand their intentions to make a change on a personal level.
Coulter began the lecture by emphasizing the unique opportunity students have to be studying national security at this time, on the heels of the most recent U.S. election.
Declaring it a “momentous time,” Coulter dove into the extensive range of foreign affairs most fundamental to this time, settling on the global power of Russia.
Moving from Trump’s efforts, who has explicitly stated in his presidency to point every program and action to promoting peace, Coulter quoted Secretary Rubio’s explicit declaration of Russia as a “strategic threat to the United States, our national security and our interests.”
“I think there’s a ton of fear going on right now in general, and so I loved hearing from someone with authority and from an anthropology perspective that this fear is real and (Russia’s) power is real,” Sarah Pace, anthropology student, said.
After identifying the ways Russia uses its power to leverage other countries, “through decades-long deals and resource demands,” Coulter transitioned into the place of the U.S. amid this fear.
Coulter explained the need for U.S. foreign policy to be pragmatic in response to the threats of the Kremlin, and that the U.S. government should be focused on “security, prosperity and strength.”
When student Timothy Gelatka asked, “What can we do on a local or personal level to solve our relationship with Russia?” Coulter responded that “people to people” is always what "wins the game."
Coulter continued with the idea that the need for diplomacy will always be there, but government powers come and go, and people to people relationships are what last.
Elizabeth Goodrich, a foreign relations major at BYU, was drawn to the lecture by her interest in Russia and to learn more about her opportunities in foreign relations.
“I learned a lot today about where we stand with Russia, and that the real problem is not with the actual people there, but the government and their use of power,” Goodrich said.
Coulter concluded her lecture with an action item of hope: the best weapon we have against the fear or threats of the Kremlin is “positivity” towards the country’s people.
Coulter stated that the U.S. has the unique opportunity to take Russia head on, and that we can do so by engaging with our counterparts and “be warm, inquisitive and curious” when we do so.