Robert Person

Robert Person is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the United States Military Academy and director of West Point’s curriculum in International Affairs.  He teaches courses on Russian and post-Soviet politics, democratic and authoritarian regimes, international political economy, and international relations. His research on Russian politics and foreign policy has been published in a variety of academic and popular media, including Foreign Affairs, the Journal of Democracy, Post-Soviet Affairs, Problems of Post-Communism, the Washington Post, The National Interest, the Moscow Times, and elsewhere. His commentary on current events in Russia and Ukraine has appeared in the New York Times, the L.A. Times, NPR, BBC, Deutsche Welle, Le Monde, Al Jazeera, El País, and other international media outlets.

Dr. Person regularly consults as a Russia subject matter expert for the Army, Department of Defense, U.S. Government agencies, and in the private sector. He is a resident fellow at West Point’s Modern War Institute and life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  In recognition of Dr. Person’s work on the Ukraine war, he has been awarded the Army Civilian Service Achievement Medal, the Army Civilian Service Commendation Medal, and has been officially sanctioned by the Russian Government and banned from entering the country. He holds a PhD in political science from Yale University and an MA in Russian and East European Studies from Stanford University.  His current book project, in progress, is titled Russia’s Grand Strategy in the 21st Century. In his spare time, Dr. Person serves as the Officer in Charge and Head Coach of the Army West Point Skeet & Trap Team.