Contemporary History Institute hosts former Russian diplomat

By Carmen Pease

It was a time when weapons amassed, missiles aimed and tension reigned. The world walked around on pins-and-needles, holding its breath and keeping its fretful eyes focused on the sky. These were the years of the Cold War, and Ambassador Oleg Grinevsky was crucial to the diplomatic efforts that resolved it.

Now, Grinevsky, former Soviet official and diplomat, is this year's Putnam/Ewing Visiting Professor for the Contemporary History Institute at Ohio University.

As a visiting professor, he will bring to the University valuable insight into the complicated and emotional times that epitomized both nations for almost half a century.

Grinevsky served for 40 years in the Soviet and Russian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and was the national security advisor to the Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Andropov and Gorbachev administrations.

In these positions, Grinevsky helped coordinate Soviet policy during the Cold War and post-Cold War periods. He was involved in the drafting of several international treaties and policies, ranging from many of the Cold War arms control agreements to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

He has also served as an ambassador for Soviet and Russian interests to major world players including Margaret Thatcher, Saddam Hussein, Yasser Arafat and Muammar al-Qadhafi.

Last year, Grinevsky visited Ohio University and delivered a lecture on "A Russian Perspective on National Missile Defense (With Observations on the Recent Terrorist Attack on the United States)." This address captivated an especially large audience and prompted the institute to invite him to return for the 2002-2003 year as a visiting professor.

Grinevsky's next lecture titled "Soviet Policy in the Middle East," will be at 4:10 p.m., Oct. 17 in the seminar lab in Brown House, located on the College Green.

Carmen Pease is an student writer with University Communications and Marketing.