Not every author has stared into Vladimir Putin's eyes while being accused of "purposely seeking to ruin U.S.-Russia relations." But that was the beginning of a contentious relationship between President Putin and then-U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation Michael McFaul. In From Cold War to Hot Peace, McFaul, now director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, recounts his time in the Obama administration - first as an adviser on Russian affairs and then as ambassador. Framed by his own journey from Stanford scholar to diplomat to Putin's adversary, he blends analysis and personal experience to tell the story of U.S.-Russia relations over the past thirty years.