The presidents of Russia and Iran met in Tehran on the sidelines of a summit of Caspian leaders, marking the first time since WWII that a Russian leader has visited Iran. However, the visit comes at time of great tension between the U.S. and Tehran. Michael McFaul, Director of CDDRL, commented on this topic on NPR on Oct. 16, 2007: he said both Russia and Iran have difficult relationships with the West by the way they organize their regimes and both share the strategic thinking of "we can be our own force, our own block."

McFaul has also been quoted in various other news outlets recently:

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) (10/9/07):

"Russia's relations with Europe, as Putin continues his grip on power, will be deteriorating, says Michael McFaul, a Russia expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Balkan Insight 'The tensions we already see between a democratic Europe and an increasingly autocratic Russia are likely to get worse, not better, for the foreseeable future.'"

The Chicago Tribune (10/13/07):

"'There was a hope and expectation that the end of the Bush and Putin administrations would create a window of opportunity to start anew,' said Michael McFaul, a Russian affairs expert at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. 'With Putin on the scene, that will be a lot less likely.'"

The Washington Post (10/14/07):

"Michael McFaul, a former colleague of Rice's at Stanford University who has advised Democratic presidential candidates, said Rice is among several top officials who have failed to realize that the 1990s effort to integrate Russia into the West has run its course."

The Chicago Tribune(10/15/07)

"'They're living off the fat of high oil prices,' said Michael McFaul, a Russia affairs expert at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. 'That could come back to haunt them.'"