SURF Program Overview

The Stanford U.S.-Russia Forum (SURF) is an ongoing initiative of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University, housed within the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL).

In response to the existing diplomatic tensions between Russia and the United States stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we have made adjustments to our program. The revised program is designed to uphold the integral student exchange component that was a cornerstone of SURF's previous activities. This adaptation is aimed at ensuring continued engagement and collaboration in light of the current geopolitical circumstances by:

Partnering with the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom and its new M.A. program at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic.
Bringing Russian and Russia-focused activists, analysts, and political actors in contact with our students at Stanford and Charles University for meaty exchanges with our faculty, students, and researchers in a variety of issue areas.
Building working contacts among young Americans and young Russians who want to work together for a better future in relations between our two countries.

Program Components

We are especially pleased to partner with the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom on this program. Through this partnership, the Nemtsov Foundation will help us recruit Russian student participants currently residing in Europe and co-organize our annual student-to-student conference at Charles University in Prague during the spring quarters of 2024, 2025, and 2026. At these conferences, Russian and American students will present and discuss their projects. Student teams of 4 to 6 students (a mix of U.S. and Russian students) will work remotely first on a topic of mutual interest devoted to the annual theme of the conference.

Student teams will work on a memo and presentation in advance of an in-person conference to be held each spring.
Student teams will be organized and coached by relevant Stanford faculty. We will work with the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom to build Russian and American student teams and assist participating SURF students in defining and narrowing their research.
Students will schedule regular bi-weekly Zoom meetings to discuss their projects.
Student memos will be posted on the SURF website and appear in the SURF online publication, The Stanford U.S.-Russia Journal.

Conferences

A central part of SURF’s programming is the conference “delegate” experience, where American and Russian students meet in person in their respective countries to attend high-level consultative meetings, participate in cultural exchange, and conduct and present their own research and policy proposals. While the current geo-political situation makes this impossible, we are grateful to the Nemtsov Foundation for helping us bring SURF delegates together safely and in person.

Each spring, we will bring together 10-20 American students and 10-20 Russian students enrolled in the new M.A. Program in Russian Studies of the Boris Nemtsov Educational Program at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. Discussions will be facilitated by the SURF program manager and Stanford faculty, who will also provide feedback to the student teams on their work. Additional small and large group discussions will focus more directly on U.S. politics, Russian politics and economics, and U.S.-Russian relations now and in the future.

These conferences are intended to be well-rounded, exposing delegates both to each other’s countries and cultures, as well as to the variety of viewpoints and perspectives within them. After the program's conclusion, participants join the SURF alumni community and contribute to its vibrant network of young leaders dedicated to improving U.S.-Russia relations.