The inaugural World Russia Forum conference—which included a tribute to Russian physicist, human rights advocate and Peace Nobel Prize Laureate Andrei Sakharov—took place on May 21, 1981 in Washington, D.C. Since then, the Forum has held two conferences annually, one each spring in Washington and a second fall conference in Moscow. Past conferences have featured dozens of U.S. Senators and Congressmen, Members of the Russian Duma, Senior Executives of several Fortune 500 companies, and such luminaries as Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, Vice-President Dan Quayle and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert. At the conferences, prominent American and Russian political and business leaders, scientists and educators, cultural figures and private citizen come to discuss and debate ideas for enhancing cooperation between the United States and Russia. The conferences feature sessions and panel discussions on business, investment and foreign policy matters.
The world faces enormous challenges in the 21st century, and cooperation between the United States and Russia is absolutely essential to meeting them. Through its long history, the World Russia Forum has demonstrated its commitment to fostering that cooperation and promoting an honest and open dialogue between our respective countries.
The American University in Moscow was founded in 1990 with the endorsement of Presidents Mikhail Gorbachev and George H. W. Bush, Gorbachev's science advisor academician Yuri Ossipyan, and Moscow Mayor Gavriil Popov. At that time it was the first private business school in the USSR. Many Russian students who graduated from the university with the equivalent of MBA degree became successful businessmen and entrepreneurs and have made their contribution to Russia's transition to a free market economy.
Discovery Institute was established in 1991 as a private, nonpartisan public policy organization to promote thoughtful analysis and effective action on local, regional, national and international issues. Through research, writing and direct communication in seminars, conferences and the media, Discovery makes innovative public policy options and initiatives fully accessible to the decision-making arenas of business and government both nationally and in the Pacific Northwest.
The Institute's mission is to make a positive vision of the future practical. The Institute discovers and promotes ideas in the common sense tradition of representative government, the free market and individual liberty. Our mission is promoted through books, reports, legislative testimony, articles, public conferences and debates, plus media coverage and the Institute's own publications and award-winning Internet website. Current projects explore the fields of bioethics, technology, science and culture, economics, regional transportation improvement, and foreign policy, among other issues. The Institute, headquartered in Seattle, Washington, also maintains an office in Washington, D.C.
The goal of the Discovery Institute's Real Russia Project is to provide a true, accurate picture of life in modern-day Russia, to promote realistic U.S./Russian relations, and to become a recognized and trusted source of information regarding Russia for U.S. policymakers, business leaders, media and the general public. The project serves a vital role in educating Americans about Russia, and in fostering better understanding between our respective countries. A positive relationship between the U.S. and Russia is in the national interest of both countries and contributes to global prosperity and stability. The Real Russia Project is notable for its objective point of view, which tries to avoid either reflexive opposition to Russia or reflexive support. The Real Russia Project maintains Russia Blog, a website that presents up-to-date news, facts and commentary on current events in Russia and the former Soviet Union.