Russia and International Organisations (SZF_064)

The aim of the course is to synthesise Russian domestic and foreign policy trends and search for internal and external identity and challenges therein to gain an accurate and in-depth understanding of contemporary Russian policy and activities in international organisations; its objectives, challenges and working methods. We will focus on three variables. First, Russia’s internal resources and capabilities. Second, the environment – regional and global. Third, leadership ambitions. The course will examine Russia’s policy towards the US, Europe, China and the so-called post-Soviet space in the context of international organisations. This study course offers a contextually rich and historically informed understanding of the key concepts that continue to shape Russian foreign policy. Rather than being structured chronologically, the course is divided into conceptual clusters that address the most enduring, contentious and ambiguous aspects that together form the core of Russian foreign policy discourse and are reflected in Russia’s policies and activities in various international organisations. Russia’s role in and relations with the UN, NATO, the EU, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the Arctic Council, the Eurasian Economic Union, the CIS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation will be examined, covering a wide range of areas. The course will be permeated with an assessment of the political, economic and security interests that shape Russia’s foreign policy, Russia’s approach to multilateralism and its activities within multilateral institutions.