Gregory Feifer is executive director of the Institute of Current World Affairs. During his fellowship (Russia, 2000-2002), he reported on political culture, politics and society during President Vladimir Putin's first term. Later, he was NPR’s Moscow bureau chief, observing the effects of the country’s vast new oil wealth on an increasingly nationalistic society as well as the Kremlin’s rekindling of a new Cold War-style opposition to the West. His books include Russians: The Power behind the People, The Great Gamble, a history of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, and Spy Handler, co-written with former KGB colonel Victor Cherkashin. He has written for numerous outlets, including The New York Times, Foreign Affairs and The Washington Post. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Harvard University and is an associate of Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian Studies.