Nekhorosheva Polina in Pyatigorsk - Opinion of a young scientist at the Middle East Conference
Our first-year student, Polina Nekhorosheva, is an ISAA graduate, majoring in Israel. She is not a beginner to academic controversy and has a reputation for her professional defence of her research and analysis. Even though there were no heated debates between her and the Arab scientists at the international conference in Pyatigorsk, we still wanted to know more about her experience at the conference. We thank Polina for this interview and wish her success on her journey [to Jerusalem].
1. Polina, you just have taken part in the International Youth Forum “Russia – Middle East” in Pyatigorsk. What is this conference about?
The forum was organised by the Primakov Center of Foreign Policy Cooperation with the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In fact, we discussed the eternally topical topics of the Middle East agenda: collective security in the Gulf, cooperation with Iran, GCC and the Maghreb countries. Of course, we did not bypass the Palestinian issue, and many other problems. The forum was attended by invited experts from the region and other countries - Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and even from South Africa. The task of the participants in the groups was to identify the main regional challenges and combine them into a single whole.
2. What are your impressions of Pyatigorsk University?
Are they familiar with the Higher School of Economics there? My impressions of Pyatigorsk University are quite positive: it is modern and comfortable. By the way, there is also a department of international relations there, where students learn Western and Eastern languages as well. HSE University, of course, is also known there. I even met on the forum students from HSE bachelor degree, who would like to enter our master's program.
3. You are currently under the academic guidance of Andrey Chuprygin, a well-known Russian Arabist and geopolitical thinker. How did your experience in our program and with Professor Chuprygin help your participation in the conference?
I think that participation in the forum was a logical continuation of the fact that I ended up in our master's program and it was Professor Chuprygin who was my supervisor. The fact is that in my undergraduate studies I majored in Israel, and I wanted to expand and deepen my knowledge in the whole region too. Such events, which held in the form of brainstorming, in my opinion, contribute not only to the repetition of what you already know, but also to the acquisition of new knowledge. Moreover, such forums and conferences are a great way to network, so I highly recommend to join! You never know if this or that contact will be useful later!