Delivered at:: School of International Affairs

Course type:: Elective course

When:: 3 year, 1, 2 module

Instructors

Skriba, Andrei

Suslov, Dmitry

Full Syllabus

Abstract

The course covers the major tendencies related to Russian politics towards security issues in Eurasia. The course analyzes bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Eurasian countries in security issues, including SCO. During this course the students will be able to deepen their knowledge both on traditional and non-traditional regional security threats and learn more about the specifics of Russian politics towards these issues.

Learning Objectives

The learning objective of the course is obtaining knowledge on Eurasian security system and the role of Russia in it, including Russia’s relations with the major Eurasian states and organizations, the policy of Eurasian leading power centers towards Russia and Russia-centric institutions of the former USSR, the major conflicts and geopolitical contradictions in Eurasia. The course will address and explore the “Greater Eurasia” concept as a regional international society, in which Russia participates, and prove the necessity to analyze Russia’s belonging to Eurasian seuciry system instead of a European one.

Expected Learning Outcomes

As a result of the course the students will gain understanding of the current state of Russian foreign policy, its logic, major drivers and directions, of the nature and major elements of the security system in Eurasia, of the major Eurasian power centers’ policies towards Russia and the Post-Soviet space, of the major Eurasian security institutions and conflicts, their importance for Russia and the role Russia plays in them.
Students will also be able to apply theoretical tools to the analyses of security relations in Eurasia.

Course Contents

Lecture 1. Ukraine conflict as the turning point of Russia’s and global development.
Seminar 1. Ukraine conflict: prerequisites, nature and prospects.
Lecture 2. The logic, drivers and major directions of Russian foreign policy
Seminar 2. The major conflicts in the former USSR (beyond the Ukraine conflict): Transniestria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorny Karabakh.
Lecture 3. The fundamental problems of European security system after the end of the Cold war and today.
Seminar 3. Security problems in Central Asia.
Lecture 4. The U.S. and NATO policies towards Russia after the end of the Cold war and today.
Seminar 4. Afghanistan and security problems of Eurasia.
Lecture 5. The Western policies towards the former USSR after the end of the Cold war and today.
Seminar 5. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Lecture 6. Russia-China relations, and China’s contemporary policy towards Russia and the former USSR
Seminar 6. Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
Lecture 7. Russia-India relations and India’s contemporary policy in Eurasia.
Seminar 7. Eurasian Economic Union.
Lecture 8. Russia-Turkey and Russia-Iran relations, Turkey’s and Iran’s contemporary policies in Eurasia.
Seminar 9. Commonwealth of Independent States and the Union State of Russia and Belarus.
Seminar 10. The concept of “Great Eurasia”: theoretical and practical aspects.

Assessment Elements

Work at seminars
Exam
Students will take oral examination in the end of course. The examination will include all the lecture and seminar topics covered at the course. Each student will get two questions: one question will be based on the seminars’ topics, and the 2nd – on the lectures’ topics.

Interim Assessment

2023/2024 2nd module
0.7 * Exam + 0.3 * Work at seminars

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Cooley, A. (2012). Great Games, Local Rules : The New Great Power Contest in Central Asia. New York: OUP Premium. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=503685
Tsygankov, A. P. (2018). Routledge Handbook of Russian Foreign Policy. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1735577

Recommended Additional Bibliography

China and Russia : the new rapprochement, Lukin, A., 2018
Россия в формирующейся Большой Евразии, , 2019

Bachelor’s Programme 'International Relations'

Russia in Eurasian Security Architecture