This is the Friends of History Debating Society.

I'm John Bachelor, 25 June, 1807.

Napoleon of France and Sauré Alexandre I meet on a raft in the Neiman River, shaking

hands in the paintings and drawings that remember this event.

The two men would have completely, profoundly different fates.

Napoleon would be walking the shoreline of St. Helena, and Alexander I would walk the

streets of Paris.

Now we turn to Moscow in these last days.

Two men, Imperial Masters of Eurasia, Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation and Xi Jinping

of the People's Republic of China shaking hands and toasting in Moscow.

I welcome Professor H.J. MacKinder International Relations to comment on this event.

As of yet, it doesn't have paintings and drawings and legend attached, such as the Alexander

Napoleon meeting, but it's early yet.

Good evening to you, Professor.

Good evening, sir.

Let's start by talking just about the two men and what we can learn from their

deportment as it were, and then talk about the issues that that raises.

But these two have met a total of three times.

Twice last year, first at the Olympics, and then at the conference, this very interesting

name, conference on interaction and confidence building measures in Asia, which was held

in Kazakhstan.

And then this year in Moscow on March 20 to 22, just very, very recently.

...