The Commission was created in August 2008 at the Belfer Center at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and The Nixon Center. It is composed of politicians and experts in the field of international relations and security. The co-chairmen of the commission are Chuck Hagel and Gary Hart, representatives of the Republican and Democratic parties respectively.
The purpose of the Commission's work is to provide reports to the US Presidential Administration and Congress on key areas in US-Russian relations, as well as to make recommendations on U.S. policy toward Russia.