Russian energy policy is reflecting a change in the conduct of the Kremlin’s domestic and foreign affairs. Robert Amsterdam, a partner at Amsterdam and Peroff, will explain how the treatment of private energy companies in Russia is part of a broader pattern of political centralization and will describe what he believes are the global goals of Russia’s more aggressive, energy‐​driven foreign policy. Andrei Illarionov, the newest senior fellow at the Cato Institute, will describe the accelerated pace of change in Russia and new ways in which political, economic and civil liberties are being eliminated.