Sergei Khrushchev, son of the late Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, will speak at UNC-Charlotte on January 22, 2009, on Russia in the post-Putin years.
His talk is part of the school's International Speaker Series. It will run from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Cone Center's McKnight Hall.
The younger Khrushchev, a former Russian missile engineer, is now a U.S. citizen and a frequent commentator for American television media. He's a senior fellow at the Watson Institute of International Studies at Brown University in Providence, R.I. He's written more than 250 books on Russian history, politics, economics, the Cold War and the U.S.-Russian relationship.
He's writing a new book titled, "Nikita Khrushchev's Reforms."
His famous father, known for his boorish behavior, became the Soviet Union's premier in 1958 and immediately began promoting reform of the Soviet system, placing an emphasis on consumer goods production rather than heavy industry. He cracked down on religious groups and had many churches boarded up or destroyed.
Many Americans remember the elder Khrushchev's outbursts at the United Nations in 1960, when he repeatedly pounded a fist on a desk to disrupt proceedings. At one point, during a debate over a Russian resolution decrying colonialism, he took off his shoe and used it to bang on his desk. He died in 1971.
Next week's event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Rebecca Vincent at 704-687-7305.
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