doi:10.7916/zz8f-q564Oral history interview with Michael A. McFaul, 2022McFaul, Michael, 1963-oral historiesmixed materialPresidents--United StatesArab Spring, 2010-Work-life balanceUnited States Foreign policy Russia (Federation)Russia (Federation) Foreign policy United StatesMcFaul, Michael, 1963-Obama, BarackNational Security Council (U.S.)Michael McFaul discusses his contributions to the foreign policy of the Obama administration, in which he served as special assistant to the president and senior director for Russian and Eurasian affairs on the National Security Council (NSC) from 2009 to 2012, and United States ambassador to the Russian Federation from 2012 to 2014. McFaul recounts formative experiences in the Soviet Union and Russia prior to the Obama years, and describes the work of the Obama 2008 presidential campaign's foreign policy working groups. He speaks widely about the administration's foreign policy toward Russia, and considers notable issues and initiatives with which he was closely involved, including the attempt to reset bilateral relations between the U.S. and Russia; Obama's relationship with Dmitry Medvedev; the U.S. response to the 2011 Russian legislative elections; the significance of Vladimir Putin's return to the Russian presidency; the administration's approach to human rights and democratization issues; U.S. engagement with the Russian opposition; McFaul's access to, and relationships with, Russian government officials; and McFaul's treatment by the Russian government during his tenure as U.S. ambassador. McFaul, who has long been involved with democracy promotion and advocacy, also narrates his experience of the Arab Spring, and describes administration officials' use of historical analogies for analysis and prediction. Also discussed are Obama's approach to briefings on foreign policy issues; the balance between foreign policy and domestic politics; foreign policy and national security personnel appointments during the Bush-Obama presidential transition; and work-family balance in the Obama White House