Russia and the World - 13th Annual Aleksanteri Conference in Helsinki, October 23-25, 2013

09-04-2013

The conference explores old and new issues on Russia’s foreign policy agenda and maps Russia’s relations to different parts of the world. The world around Russia has been changing. New international powers have been rising and new challenges have emerged. At the same time, domestic politics and changes in Russian society and state shape foreign policy. Russia has followed many enduring traditions in its foreign policy and it aims at strengthening its position as a great power. Yet, Russian foreign policy has not always been easy to understand from a single perspective and very seldom has it been possible to form an overall view of its directions and patterns, let alone to predict its future.

The13th Aleksanteri Conference will shed new light on various aspects of Russia’s foreign policy decision-making and background factors, as well as issues and strategies. It is both possible and necessary not only to create bridges between theory and empirical analysis but also to think thoroughly what kind of theoretical approaches can fruitfully be applied to Russian foreign policy.The conference will address several themes related to Russia’s foreign and security policy as well as the nexus between domestic and international factors. Can we talk about modernization of Russian foreign policy? How has Russian foreign policy changed? How is Russia developing its relations to major international power centres? How is it dealing with smaller powers in its near abroad? How does it address new global issues? Is Russia’s global role on the rise or in decline? Is it possible to develop a reliable theory of Russias foreign policy?

Call for Panels and Papers open until May 15th, 2013

The conference organisers welcome panels and paper presentations for example but not limited on the following topics:

• Russia as a player in world politics
  Russia and international institutions
  Russia and global environmental issues
  Russia as a soft power / public diplomacy
  Russia as a neighbour
  Russia and the rising powers (BRICS)
  
• Foreign Policy towards East, West, South and North
  Russia and the EU
  Russia and the post-Soviet space
  Russia and Northern Europe
  Russia and the United States
  Russia and Asia
  Russia and the Arctic
• Security challenges
  Russia and international terrorism
  Russia and the frozen conflicts
  Russia and international crises
  Russia's defence policy and reform of the armed forces
  
• Theory and practice of foreign and security policy
  Theories of Russian foreign policy
  Russia's foreign policy doctrine / concept
  Russia's strategic culture
  Public opinion and Russia's foreign policy
  Memory conflicts in Russia's foreign policy
  History of Russia's foreign policy
• Economic relations and foreign policy
  Russia's energy foreign policy
  Russia and the WTO
  Russia and bilateral trade issues
  External relations of Russia's regions

We welcome abstracts for individual papers and proposals for panels (approx. 300 words).

Please submit your information through the abstract submission form or panel proposal submission form by May 15th, 2013. Notification of acceptance will be sent byJune 17th, 2013.

For further assistance or more details, please see Practical Information or contact the Conference Coordinators at fcree-aleksconf [at] helsinki.fi

Further information: http://www.helsinki.fi/aleksanteri/conference2013/