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As the worst drought in over half a century ravages crops in the United States, all eyes are on Russia, the world's second-biggest grain exporter, to prevent a food crisis similar to that seen in 2007-2008.

file photoBut if early forecasts are anything to go by, importers should look elsewhere for their desired bumper crop. Last week, west Siberia's Altai and Orenburg joined a handful of regions in declaring states of emergency in some districts due to extreme hot and dry weather.

"It looks like the harvest will be lower than last year, although we won't know for sure until all the harvests have been collected in late August," Mikhail Krasnoperov, a consumer analyst at Troika Dialog investment bank, told The Moscow News. "The cold winter affected around 6 percent of the crop and now the drought in the south and Siberia is causing further problems."

The southern Krasnodar region, one of the few to have completed its harvest, collected just 5 million tons of grain, about a third of last year's total, according to the Agriculture Ministry's website.

Now the Urals and west Siberian regions are also being hit, with temperatures in some places failing to dip lower than 30 degrees Celsius for over a month, sparking great swathes of wildfires.

While nowhere near as severe as the U.S. drought that has wiped out much of the country's corn crop, Russia's extreme hot weather caused the Agriculture Ministry to lower its forecast for grain to a minimum of 80 million tons earlier this month, 15 percent lower than last year.

On Monday, the Federal Metereorological and Environmental Monitoring Service reduced its forecast even lower, to 77 million to 80 million tons. The Agriculture Ministry is widely expected to follow suit, the Prime news agency reported.

Wheat has also been affected, with the International Grains Council downgrading its forecasts for Russia's wheat harvest to 45 million tons last week, down from 49 million at the start of the month and some 11 million tons less than was gathered in last year's harvest.

Prices rising

Primarily as a result of the U.S. drought, cereal prices have skyrocketed in the past month, causing many importing countries, including top wheat buyer Egypt, to hold off on purchases in the hope of good crops from elsewhere in the world.

Andrei Sizov, who heads the SovEcon agricultural consulting firm and sits on a newly formed governmental Food Security Commission, compared the situation to 2007-08, when droughts in grain-producing countries coupled with high oil prices to push up global food prices.

"The main driver for food prices at the moment is the U.S. market, but the global market is also watching Russia and how it will restrict its grain exports," Sizov told The Moscow News.

SovEcon will release its forecast for this year's harvest within the next few weeks, but Sizov said preliminarily that he does not expect it to exceed 80 million tons. Russia needs around 72 million tons of grain to satisfy its domestic needs, and generally exports anything left over.

Export ban feared

But for global markets a bigger fear than a lower-than-average harvest in Russia is that the country will impose export restrictions, like it did in 2010, when a drought and wildfires wiped out most of the crops in Central Russia.

Then major wheat importers that had relied on contracts from Russia were left in the cold, having received little warning of Russia's plans. Eager to win back the trust of Russia's customers, the authorities have staunchly denied rumors that they are planning similar tactics this year, claiming the situation is not that bad and that Russia will still be able to export up to 20 million tons.

"I think there is no need to impose any limits. The market will regulate itself," head of Russia's Grain Union, Arkady Zlochevsky, told Reuters last week.

However, investment bank Goldman Sachs described "a new Russian export ban" as the "biggest risk" to a forecast that wheat prices will underperform those of corn in a report released on July 16.

WTO restrictions

Imposing export restrictions may be trickier for Russia this time around due to the country's entry to the World Trade Organization next month. The rules of the global trade body restrict the implementation of export duties, while export bans are severely frowned upon.

But SovEcon's Sizov said that if the members of the Food Security Commission, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, decide that export restrictions are necessary when they next meet on Aug. 8, they will implement the limits despite WTO rules.

"If the government decides that Russia needs to restrict its exports, they will find measures to do that," Sizov said. "It could say, for example, that it is a matter of food security. Ukraine has restricted its exports and it is a WTO member."

remain impressed by the quantity and quality of U.S.-Russia cooperation today. It is a new era in our bilateral relationship. Personally, I find my job most rewarding when I am engaged in the practical, pragmatic diplomacy that produces these win-win outcomes for the United States and Russia.

The Russian parliament also has taken some important votes, including approval of a historic visa agreement, the final ratification of which will ensure easier travel between our countries and establish stronger ties between our people; the approval of the bilateral adoption agreement signed by Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Lavrov last summer, which in itself marks a significant milestone toward better inter-country adoptions and policies; and the ratification of Russia's accession agreement to the World Trade Organization, which will improve market access for U.S. exports of goods and services and Russia's implementation of established, enforceable, multilateral trade rules.

On a personal level, I also am very pleased to have remained a participant in the development of our policy towards Russia, even as I changed jobs last January. New technologies make it possible for me and my staff to participate directly in all major U.S. government meetings on Russia, something Ambassador John Quincy Adams or even Ambassador Pickering could never have even imagined doing. I also was honored that President Obama asked to me join him for his meetings with President Medvedev in Seoul in March on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit.

He also invited me to his meeting with President Putin in Los Cabos, Mexico on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, even though it not customary for ambassadors to travel to other countries for meetings like these.

Visits by Secretary Clinton to St. Petersburg in June and National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon to Moscow in May were also major moments for policy development this past spring. Click here for photos of the Secretary's visit.

It was great to catch up with Secretary Clinton and chat about my time in Moscow so far. She led the U.S. delegation to the APEC Women and the Economy Summit, and has made women's issues a fundamental part of U.S. foreign policy­and thanks to her, the international community is taking note.

In addition, we had a fantastic number of high-level visitors since I became Ambassador, including Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns, Special Coordinator for Syria Fred Hof, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, Special Representative for North Korea Policy Glyn Davies, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon, Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Treasury Under Secretary David Cohen, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, Department of Commerce Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sanchez, and Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman. I am proud that our Mission has helped to encourage so many high-profile visits in my first six months here, since these delegations contribute greatly to the development of our bilateral relations. The next big event: accompanying Secretary Clinton to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vladivostok in early September.

Regarding my second major objective­enhancing bilateral trade and investment­our most immediate task has been to encourage the ratification of Russia's accession agreement to the World Trade Organization (WTO). In addition, we support the Obama administration's efforts to work with the U.S. Congress to terminate the application to Russia of the Jackson-Vanik (JV) amendment to the 1974 Trade Act, and grant Russia Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR). Toward this end, we welcomed the visit of U.S. Senator Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, in February, and I was pleased also that his committee unanimously approved PNTR this week. We look forward to Congress's continued attention to this matter.

Later in the spring, we hosted a bipartisan delegation of the senior staff of that committee to acquaint them with the full range of issues related to trade relations with Russia. We also were honored to have in Moscow a group of eight members of the U.S. Congress headed by U.S. House of Representatives member Kevin McCarthy. Another Senate staff delegation also visited in Moscow in July for meetings with Russian officials, experts, and media to assess Russian views and policies on Syria, Iran, missile defense, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, and the domestic situation in Russia. We also continue to provide the White House with information about why and how the lifting of JV and the granting of PNTR will stimulate greater business opportunities for American exporters and investors.

In parallel to these efforts on JV/PNTR, I have devoted a great deal of my first six months to meeting with American companies and Russian government officials in an effort to facilitate trade and investment. In fact, this past May saw the first ever $1 billion month in terms of U.S. exports to Russia! This spring we also hosted successful trade missions to Russia in the automotive and energy efficiency sectors that introduced a total of 25 U.S. companies to prospective Russian partner companies through hundreds of individual meetings in five Russian cities. I was honored to witness the groundbreaking by General Motors in June for the expansion of GM Auto, its wholly owned manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg. The expansion will more than double GM Auto's annual production capacity from the current 98,000 vehicles to 230,000 vehicles by 2015.

I also attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) and the Ural International Exhibition and Forum of Industry and Innovations (INNOPROM), at which I had the opportunity to meet with many American business leaders (and do some traveling outside of Moscow, which I hope to continue!).

I have met several times with those involved in Skolkovo, including the impressive inaugural Masters of Scienece (MsC) fellowship program of Skolkovo Tech this week, and want to make sure the U.S. government is doing all that we can to support this important idea. I am particularly grateful for the close partnership that we maintain with the American Chamber of Commerce here in Moscow, and am always eager to meet with the leadership of the U.S.-Russia Business Council (USRBC) when they are in town. At the end of the day, the private sector is the driver of increased economic cooperation between Russia and the United States. But when we can find opportunities to do so, be it a new visa agreement or sponsorship of trade delegations, the Obama administration seeks to help create more permissive conditions for private sector investment and trade decisions. In this area, I think I have a lot more work to do, and I look forward to any concrete recommendations that you might have for facilitating our work in this area.

Finally, regarding my third goal­decreasing stereotypes­I have tried to engage the Russian public in gatherings of press, students, think tanks, and other groups, and, in turn, I see real demand for direct engagement with me. Although I opened an account on Twitter only six months ago, I already have 30,000 followers. On Facebook, I already have reached the limit of friends that I can have­5,000­but you can still sign up as a subscriber there. I allow myself time to engage on these social media platforms only in the evening, so I apologize in advance to those who have sent messages to me and I have not yet responded. During the day, I reserve time to fulfilling my conventional diplomatic duties. But I do find these new ways of interacting with Russians directly rewarding, even if at times, I make mistakes because of my poor Russian grammar or my lack of understanding of Russian slang. But I vow to keep at it. Follow me on Twitter at @McFaul or subscribe to me on FB and engage with me directly. By fostering people-to-people relationships, we are finding ways to bring together Americans and Russians from a variety of walks of life. I hope that both my contact with Russians, as well as greater contact between the people of our two great nations, fosters mutual understanding and combats outdated Cold War stereotypes. I was especially pleased that we combined the virtual with the real when we organized a "meet the ambassdor" meeting at the American Corner in Yekaterinburg by inviting participants for this event through Facebook and Twitter. Early in my tenure in Moscow, someone on Twitter challenged me to meet with the "real" people of Russia. Well, I don't know if the people who showed up for this meeting represented the "real" citizens of Yekaterinburg, but it was a first for American diplomacy in Russia, which we plan to repeat in other cities.

There is perhaps no better tool than cultural exchanges for combating stereotypes, and it has been deeply gratifying to see the warm response from Russians to "American Seasons," our cultural initiative to showcase the diversity and excellence of American performing and visual arts. One of my first public appearances was at the Moscow International House of Music for a concert by the Aeolian Choir of Oakville University from Huntsville, Alabama. I was very moved when the audience of 1700 spontaneously joined the young African-American gospel choir in the singing of "Amazing Grace." It was indeed amazing, and since then it has been my privilege to share American culture with our Russian friends by hosting many other extraordinary American artists in Moscow, including the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and the Thelonius Monk Institute; Bang on a Can (avant-garde ensemble); Tony award-winning dancer and choreographer Savion Glover; and classical pianist Joyce Yang. In addition, we've enjoyed introducing Russian audiences to the music of some less well-known but very talented performers, including Jeffrey Broussard Ensemble and the Christine Balfa Quartet, Wylie and Wild West (a western swing band from my home state of Montana), R. Carlos Nakai (a native American flutist), Steve Reilly and the Mamou Playboys (Zydeco), and the Eli Yamin Blues Band.

In fact, the Eli Yamin Blues Band even performed at our Fourth of July celebration, by far the largest event I have hosted thus far at Spaso House. In recognition of this important holiday, which marks the birth of the United States as a free and independent nation in 1776, about 2,000 Russian and international guests from all walks of life ­ politicians (both pro-government and opposition), journalists, artists, students, diplomats, businessmen, many others ­ gathered at my residence for an afternoon spent eating hot dogs, drinking beer, and discussing American history and what it means to be American!

Finally, on a personal level, I could not be more thrilled to be in Russia right now. Of course, as a former Stanford professor and former White House official, I have had to learn how to become an ambassador. But I have found the challenge to be stimulating. And most importantly, I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to represent President Obama, Secretary Clinton, and the American people here in Russia. And my life here is made easier by how well my wife and two sons have adjusted to life in Russia. We look for a new adventure every day, whether it is learning to say "more ice cream please" in Russian or discovering facts about World War II not well known in the United States. I am especially thrilled that my two sons are getting the opportunity to live in Russia. Since 1983, your culture, history, and people have been such a major part of my life. It is special now that Russia has become a new chapter in the life of my entire family.

My time here has truly flown by. We have accomplished a lot over the past half year, but I see so much more potential for ways in which we can fundamentally transform U.S.-Russia relations into a more stable, normal, productive partnership. I am encouraged by the aspirations for U.S.-Russia relations affirmed by our two presidents when they met last month, and look forward to the challenge of helping to turn these aspirations into more concrete outcomes over the coming weeks, months, and years. I will report back with a new assessment when I mark my one-year anniversary in January 2013, but in the meantime will continue with my periodic updates!

Keywords: Russia, Economy, Trade, Agriculture, Farming - Russian News - Russia - Johnson's Russia List

 

As the worst drought in over half a century ravages crops in the United States, all eyes are on Russia, the world's second-biggest grain exporter, to prevent a food crisis similar to that seen in 2007-2008.

file photoBut if early forecasts are anything to go by, importers should look elsewhere for their desired bumper crop. Last week, west Siberia's Altai and Orenburg joined a handful of regions in declaring states of emergency in some districts due to extreme hot and dry weather.

"It looks like the harvest will be lower than last year, although we won't know for sure until all the harvests have been collected in late August," Mikhail Krasnoperov, a consumer analyst at Troika Dialog investment bank, told The Moscow News. "The cold winter affected around 6 percent of the crop and now the drought in the south and Siberia is causing further problems."

The southern Krasnodar region, one of the few to have completed its harvest, collected just 5 million tons of grain, about a third of last year's total, according to the Agriculture Ministry's website.

Now the Urals and west Siberian regions are also being hit, with temperatures in some places failing to dip lower than 30 degrees Celsius for over a month, sparking great swathes of wildfires.

While nowhere near as severe as the U.S. drought that has wiped out much of the country's corn crop, Russia's extreme hot weather caused the Agriculture Ministry to lower its forecast for grain to a minimum of 80 million tons earlier this month, 15 percent lower than last year.

On Monday, the Federal Metereorological and Environmental Monitoring Service reduced its forecast even lower, to 77 million to 80 million tons. The Agriculture Ministry is widely expected to follow suit, the Prime news agency reported.

Wheat has also been affected, with the International Grains Council downgrading its forecasts for Russia's wheat harvest to 45 million tons last week, down from 49 million at the start of the month and some 11 million tons less than was gathered in last year's harvest.

Prices rising

Primarily as a result of the U.S. drought, cereal prices have skyrocketed in the past month, causing many importing countries, including top wheat buyer Egypt, to hold off on purchases in the hope of good crops from elsewhere in the world.

Andrei Sizov, who heads the SovEcon agricultural consulting firm and sits on a newly formed governmental Food Security Commission, compared the situation to 2007-08, when droughts in grain-producing countries coupled with high oil prices to push up global food prices.

"The main driver for food prices at the moment is the U.S. market, but the global market is also watching Russia and how it will restrict its grain exports," Sizov told The Moscow News.

SovEcon will release its forecast for this year's harvest within the next few weeks, but Sizov said preliminarily that he does not expect it to exceed 80 million tons. Russia needs around 72 million tons of grain to satisfy its domestic needs, and generally exports anything left over.

Export ban feared

But for global markets a bigger fear than a lower-than-average harvest in Russia is that the country will impose export restrictions, like it did in 2010, when a drought and wildfires wiped out most of the crops in Central Russia.

Then major wheat importers that had relied on contracts from Russia were left in the cold, having received little warning of Russia's plans. Eager to win back the trust of Russia's customers, the authorities have staunchly denied rumors that they are planning similar tactics this year, claiming the situation is not that bad and that Russia will still be able to export up to 20 million tons.

"I think there is no need to impose any limits. The market will regulate itself," head of Russia's Grain Union, Arkady Zlochevsky, told Reuters last week.

However, investment bank Goldman Sachs described "a new Russian export ban" as the "biggest risk" to a forecast that wheat prices will underperform those of corn in a report released on July 16.

WTO restrictions

Imposing export restrictions may be trickier for Russia this time around due to the country's entry to the World Trade Organization next month. The rules of the global trade body restrict the implementation of export duties, while export bans are severely frowned upon.

But SovEcon's Sizov said that if the members of the Food Security Commission, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich, decide that export restrictions are necessary when they next meet on Aug. 8, they will implement the limits despite WTO rules.

"If the government decides that Russia needs to restrict its exports, they will find measures to do that," Sizov said. "It could say, for example, that it is a matter of food security. Ukraine has restricted its exports and it is a WTO member."

remain impressed by the quantity and quality of U.S.-Russia cooperation today. It is a new era in our bilateral relationship. Personally, I find my job most rewarding when I am engaged in the practical, pragmatic diplomacy that produces these win-win outcomes for the United States and Russia.

The Russian parliament also has taken some important votes, including approval of a historic visa agreement, the final ratification of which will ensure easier travel between our countries and establish stronger ties between our people; the approval of the bilateral adoption agreement signed by Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Lavrov last summer, which in itself marks a significant milestone toward better inter-country adoptions and policies; and the ratification of Russia's accession agreement to the World Trade Organization, which will improve market access for U.S. exports of goods and services and Russia's implementation of established, enforceable, multilateral trade rules.

On a personal level, I also am very pleased to have remained a participant in the development of our policy towards Russia, even as I changed jobs last January. New technologies make it possible for me and my staff to participate directly in all major U.S. government meetings on Russia, something Ambassador John Quincy Adams or even Ambassador Pickering could never have even imagined doing. I also was honored that President Obama asked to me join him for his meetings with President Medvedev in Seoul in March on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit.

He also invited me to his meeting with President Putin in Los Cabos, Mexico on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, even though it not customary for ambassadors to travel to other countries for meetings like these.

Visits by Secretary Clinton to St. Petersburg in June and National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon to Moscow in May were also major moments for policy development this past spring. Click here for photos of the Secretary's visit.

It was great to catch up with Secretary Clinton and chat about my time in Moscow so far. She led the U.S. delegation to the APEC Women and the Economy Summit, and has made women's issues a fundamental part of U.S. foreign policy­and thanks to her, the international community is taking note.

In addition, we had a fantastic number of high-level visitors since I became Ambassador, including Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns, Special Coordinator for Syria Fred Hof, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, Special Representative for North Korea Policy Glyn Davies, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon, Acting Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Treasury Under Secretary David Cohen, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, Department of Commerce Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sanchez, and Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman. I am proud that our Mission has helped to encourage so many high-profile visits in my first six months here, since these delegations contribute greatly to the development of our bilateral relations. The next big event: accompanying Secretary Clinton to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vladivostok in early September.

Regarding my second major objective­enhancing bilateral trade and investment­our most immediate task has been to encourage the ratification of Russia's accession agreement to the World Trade Organization (WTO). In addition, we support the Obama administration's efforts to work with the U.S. Congress to terminate the application to Russia of the Jackson-Vanik (JV) amendment to the 1974 Trade Act, and grant Russia Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR). Toward this end, we welcomed the visit of U.S. Senator Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, in February, and I was pleased also that his committee unanimously approved PNTR this week. We look forward to Congress's continued attention to this matter.

Later in the spring, we hosted a bipartisan delegation of the senior staff of that committee to acquaint them with the full range of issues related to trade relations with Russia. We also were honored to have in Moscow a group of eight members of the U.S. Congress headed by U.S. House of Representatives member Kevin McCarthy. Another Senate staff delegation also visited in Moscow in July for meetings with Russian officials, experts, and media to assess Russian views and policies on Syria, Iran, missile defense, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, and the domestic situation in Russia. We also continue to provide the White House with information about why and how the lifting of JV and the granting of PNTR will stimulate greater business opportunities for American exporters and investors.

In parallel to these efforts on JV/PNTR, I have devoted a great deal of my first six months to meeting with American companies and Russian government officials in an effort to facilitate trade and investment. In fact, this past May saw the first ever $1 billion month in terms of U.S. exports to Russia! This spring we also hosted successful trade missions to Russia in the automotive and energy efficiency sectors that introduced a total of 25 U.S. companies to prospective Russian partner companies through hundreds of individual meetings in five Russian cities. I was honored to witness the groundbreaking by General Motors in June for the expansion of GM Auto, its wholly owned manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg. The expansion will more than double GM Auto's annual production capacity from the current 98,000 vehicles to 230,000 vehicles by 2015.

I also attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) and the Ural International Exhibition and Forum of Industry and Innovations (INNOPROM), at which I had the opportunity to meet with many American business leaders (and do some traveling outside of Moscow, which I hope to continue!).

I have met several times with those involved in Skolkovo, including the impressive inaugural Masters of Scienece (MsC) fellowship program of Skolkovo Tech this week, and want to make sure the U.S. government is doing all that we can to support this important idea. I am particularly grateful for the close partnership that we maintain with the American Chamber of Commerce here in Moscow, and am always eager to meet with the leadership of the U.S.-Russia Business Council (USRBC) when they are in town. At the end of the day, the private sector is the driver of increased economic cooperation between Russia and the United States. But when we can find opportunities to do so, be it a new visa agreement or sponsorship of trade delegations, the Obama administration seeks to help create more permissive conditions for private sector investment and trade decisions. In this area, I think I have a lot more work to do, and I look forward to any concrete recommendations that you might have for facilitating our work in this area.

Finally, regarding my third goal­decreasing stereotypes­I have tried to engage the Russian public in gatherings of press, students, think tanks, and other groups, and, in turn, I see real demand for direct engagement with me. Although I opened an account on Twitter only six months ago, I already have 30,000 followers. On Facebook, I already have reached the limit of friends that I can have­5,000­but you can still sign up as a subscriber there. I allow myself time to engage on these social media platforms only in the evening, so I apologize in advance to those who have sent messages to me and I have not yet responded. During the day, I reserve time to fulfilling my conventional diplomatic duties. But I do find these new ways of interacting with Russians directly rewarding, even if at times, I make mistakes because of my poor Russian grammar or my lack of understanding of Russian slang. But I vow to keep at it. Follow me on Twitter at @McFaul or subscribe to me on FB and engage with me directly. By fostering people-to-people relationships, we are finding ways to bring together Americans and Russians from a variety of walks of life. I hope that both my contact with Russians, as well as greater contact between the people of our two great nations, fosters mutual understanding and combats outdated Cold War stereotypes. I was especially pleased that we combined the virtual with the real when we organized a "meet the ambassdor" meeting at the American Corner in Yekaterinburg by inviting participants for this event through Facebook and Twitter. Early in my tenure in Moscow, someone on Twitter challenged me to meet with the "real" people of Russia. Well, I don't know if the people who showed up for this meeting represented the "real" citizens of Yekaterinburg, but it was a first for American diplomacy in Russia, which we plan to repeat in other cities.

There is perhaps no better tool than cultural exchanges for combating stereotypes, and it has been deeply gratifying to see the warm response from Russians to "American Seasons," our cultural initiative to showcase the diversity and excellence of American performing and visual arts. One of my first public appearances was at the Moscow International House of Music for a concert by the Aeolian Choir of Oakville University from Huntsville, Alabama. I was very moved when the audience of 1700 spontaneously joined the young African-American gospel choir in the singing of "Amazing Grace." It was indeed amazing, and since then it has been my privilege to share American culture with our Russian friends by hosting many other extraordinary American artists in Moscow, including the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and the Thelonius Monk Institute; Bang on a Can (avant-garde ensemble); Tony award-winning dancer and choreographer Savion Glover; and classical pianist Joyce Yang. In addition, we've enjoyed introducing Russian audiences to the music of some less well-known but very talented performers, including Jeffrey Broussard Ensemble and the Christine Balfa Quartet, Wylie and Wild West (a western swing band from my home state of Montana), R. Carlos Nakai (a native American flutist), Steve Reilly and the Mamou Playboys (Zydeco), and the Eli Yamin Blues Band.

In fact, the Eli Yamin Blues Band even performed at our Fourth of July celebration, by far the largest event I have hosted thus far at Spaso House. In recognition of this important holiday, which marks the birth of the United States as a free and independent nation in 1776, about 2,000 Russian and international guests from all walks of life ­ politicians (both pro-government and opposition), journalists, artists, students, diplomats, businessmen, many others ­ gathered at my residence for an afternoon spent eating hot dogs, drinking beer, and discussing American history and what it means to be American!

Finally, on a personal level, I could not be more thrilled to be in Russia right now. Of course, as a former Stanford professor and former White House official, I have had to learn how to become an ambassador. But I have found the challenge to be stimulating. And most importantly, I am honored and humbled to have the opportunity to represent President Obama, Secretary Clinton, and the American people here in Russia. And my life here is made easier by how well my wife and two sons have adjusted to life in Russia. We look for a new adventure every day, whether it is learning to say "more ice cream please" in Russian or discovering facts about World War II not well known in the United States. I am especially thrilled that my two sons are getting the opportunity to live in Russia. Since 1983, your culture, history, and people have been such a major part of my life. It is special now that Russia has become a new chapter in the life of my entire family.

My time here has truly flown by. We have accomplished a lot over the past half year, but I see so much more potential for ways in which we can fundamentally transform U.S.-Russia relations into a more stable, normal, productive partnership. I am encouraged by the aspirations for U.S.-Russia relations affirmed by our two presidents when they met last month, and look forward to the challenge of helping to turn these aspirations into more concrete outcomes over the coming weeks, months, and years. I will report back with a new assessment when I mark my one-year anniversary in January 2013, but in the meantime will continue with my periodic updates!

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