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Regular version of the site

The School of International Regional Studies is a research and educational centre seeking to revive international regional studies as an academic discipline in Russia. The department’s world-class professors train the next generation of regional studies specialists while developing an increasingly prestigious research school.

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Our international projects bring together scholars, students, and industry experts across borders to tackle key global issues—from Arctic development and international joint ventures to youth diplomacy and regional economic integration. Through collaborative research and cross-cultural dialogue, we produce practical knowledge that supports policy, business, and global understanding. Discover our global initiatives.

Administration

Dmitry V. Efremenko
School Head

Olga V. Volosyuk
Academic Supervisor

Evgeny Kanaev
Deputy Head

Nubara Kuliyeva
Manager

Murad Sadygzade
Assistant

Publications

  • Book

    Klimov I., Chepeleva M., Gavrilov K. et al.

    The non-profit sector in the BRICS countries: current structure and development trends. Executive Summary

    This research study was conducted at the initiative of the Civil BRICS Council for the purpose
    of performing a systemic analysis of the non-profit sector (hereinafter, the ‘NPO sector’),
    encompassing both non-profit organizations (NPOs) and non-governmental organizations
    (NGOs), in each of the constituent member countries of BRICS. Since February 2025, BRICS
    has consisted of 10 member states: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia,
    South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The framework of this research work
    encompasses individual in-depth studies of the respective NPO sectors of each member
    state, thus enabling the researchers to pinpoint both consistent patterns common to all
    member states and country-specific features of NPO sector development in member states
    taken individually, within the overall context of the expanded BRICS.
    This report resulted from a desk research study covering an analysis of relevant open source
    data, statistics, and sector-specific publications and studies, as well as materials gleaned from
    interviews with and surveys of experts and NPO/NGO representatives who have in-depth
    knowledge of the NPO sector in their respective countries. The overall purpose of the study
    is to provide the Civil BRICS Council with critical information to guide its decision-making on
    the question of whether to expand the Council’s membership and in developing a strategy
    for its further operations. In addition, the study was undertaken with the supplemental aim
    of facilitating greater mutual understanding and reciprocity between the civil societies of
    BRICS member states, as well as identifying key commonalities among them.
     




















    Civil BRICS Council, 2026.

  • Article

    Seyedi Asl S., Demidov M. D.

    The reality of SpaceX in the us space policy from an astropolitical perspective

    In recent years, several nations, including China, India, Japan, and developing countries like Iran, have made significant advancements in their space research sectors. Only Russia and the United States consider themselves the foremost space powers, allocating billions annually to sustain their equipment and information dominance. However, in less than ten years, space and its mineral and energy resources seem to be the focus of massive competitions between great powers, creating new intersections between corporations and governments, and, of course, between corporations and governments. A new breed of astropolitical competitions will result from this. Consequently, geopolitical certainty on Earth and the strategic equations of the space realm can be reinterpreted. On the other hand, the United States dedicates a significant portion of its military and research budget to the United States Space Research Organization, or NASA, for this astropolitical conflict.

    New Era International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Researches. 2026. Vol. 11. No. 32. P. 1-17.

  • Book chapter

    Kuliyeva N.

    The Role of the “Middle Powers” in Shaping the New International System: The Case of Türkiye

    Within the new multipolar international system the role of non-Western centers of power increased dramatically. The middle powers began to undergo a new stage of transformation of behavior and positioning within the international system. Against this background, Turkey began to position itself as a “transregional” power. This status of Türkiye is manifested in the spread of influence in three priority areas: Islamic, post-Ottoman and Turkic/post-Soviet. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the evolution of Türkiye's international positioning and to justify the place that it is striving for within the modern international system during the period of the Justice and Development Party (JDP) in power. An excessively ambitious foreign policy for a middle power can be considered untenable due to a number of systemic and internal factors. However, although Türkiye's attempts to change its international status are not sufficient to achieve the status of a global power, they create the basis for reconsidering the approach to Türkiye as a middle power.

    In bk.: Shifting Power Dynamics in International Relations: From Unipolar Hegemony to Multipolarity. IGI Global Scientific Publishing, 2026. Ch. 15. P. 351-370.

  • Working paper

    Shein S., Ryzhkin E.

    Towards A Common Vision? Populist Radical Right Parties’ Positions On The Eu Common Foreign And Security Policy Towards Russia

    The growth of populism in the EU member states, as a large-scale internal challenge to the European integration project, has a projection on foreign policy of both national states and the European Union. The EU foreign policy, towards Russia, is the area where the deviation of populist programs and strategies from the positions of the mainstream is most clearly manifested. In this regard, it is necessary to determine the foreign policy orientations of the populist radical right parties of the EU member states regarding the EU foreign policy, towards Russia, and opportunities for their synchronization. The main conclusion of this research is that populist foreign policy orientations highlight the internal heterogeneity of the populist phenomenon. Populism in power and in opposition does not have the capacity to change the EU's foreign policy towards Russia. The nature of populism as an ideology, the instrumental use by right populists of the “theme of Russia” for “internal consumption”, and their mainstreaming in power are a significant barrier to the real challenge of the EU policy towards Russia

    Political Science. PS. Высшая школа экономики, 2022. No. 89.

All publications