More information
Description
The undertaking of this project was determined by the need of new research of Russia’s policy in the Black Sea under the circumstances of the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and of new military, political and economic strategies promoted by Moscow in the last years. Romania, as a country neighbouring the Black Sea, is directly interested in research on Russia’s geopolitics in the region, especially since the two countries share a common history in the last two centuries. Also, this project consists of the need to train a new generation of specialists in Russian relations, as there is no university-level school of this kind in Romania.
There are multiple similarities between Russia’s policy in the Black Sea and in the Arctic Ocean, making them suitable for a comparative study: the exploitation of petroleum and gas reserves from the continental shelves, the claiming of a larger surface of the continental shelf by Russia in the Arctic Ocean and in the Black Sea, Russian investments, Russian propaganda, the position of NATO states, of which Romania and Norway are part of, in regards to Russia’s military strategy and its aggressiveness etc.The project’s objectives are: (1.) Accomplishing a comparative interdisciplinary research on Russia’s geopolitics in the Black Sea; (2.) The formation and development of a human research resource at the University of Bucharest for the study of Russia’s geopolitics in the Black Sea through 3 doctoral scholarships and 14 post-doctoral scholarships; (3.) The creation of a documentary base for research on Russia’s geopolitics in the Black Sea which consists in one online database with the literature on the topic and one specialized library managed by a new founded research centre at the University of Bucharest. The most important results of the project will be the research performed by the project team, formed of researchers of the University of Bucharest and of the Norwegian partner.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to study in a comparative key the geopolitics of Russia in Eastern Europe, especially in the region of the Black Sea and the Arctic Ocean, and thus train and develop a human resource at the University of Bucharest, specialized in this topic. In the last decades, the Russian Federation has had an aggressive policy, through political statements and propaganda, towards most of the states in Eastern Europe. Romanian expertise on the geopolitics of Russia is limited at a small number of specialists, because after the removal of the communist regime, the interest in academic research of the ex-Soviet space decreased. In contrast, Norway has a wealth expertise in Russian and ex-Soviet research. During the implementation of the project, the Russian military aggression in Ukraine began. At the same time, all the states in Eastern Europe, from the Black Sea region to the Arctic, are subject to a hybrid war on the part of the Russian Federation. This aggressive turn of Russia''s geopolitics demonstrated, once again, the necessity of forming a Romanian expertise in the field. The war in Ukraine became, from an academic point of view, the most important challenge of our project.
Scientific research of Russian geopolitics in the Black Sea and the Arctic region was the main activity of the project. The research themes were adapted to the new context of the war in Ukraine. The Romanian Center for Russian Studies was established as a research center of the University of Bucharest, which concentrated the human resources involved in the project: senior scholars alongside young researchers, both with a doctorate and still PhD students. Young researchers benefited from Russian language courses as well as expert guidance from senior researchers. Two international conferences were organized at the University of Bucharest (2022 and 2023) and a workshop at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in Oslo (2023). The members of the project team presented scientific papers at national and international conferences and published scientific studies in academic journals and books.
Through this project, the Romanian Center for Russian Studies was established at the University of Bucharest, as an academic entity designed to ensure the continuity of research. A specialized human resource was formed and developed through the young researchers co-opted in the project: 3 doctoral students and 8 postdoctoral researchers. The members of the project team, from both partner institutions, presented 86 scientific papers at national and international conferences, which enjoyed the appreciation of the international academic community. Two books were published or submitted for publication (one author''s volume and one collective volume), as well as 24 scientific studies in specialized journals. On the project''s website (www.russianstudiesromania.eu) dozens of analysis articles on various topics related to Russian geopolitics were published, which attracted thousands of visitors and readers. The results are accessible to stakeholders and ensure the long-term visibility of the project.
Summary of bilateral results
The cooperation between the University of Bucharest and the Fridtjof Nansen Institute evolved both academically and interpersonally. We organized in partnership two international conferences and a workshop and collaborated for the research and writing in joint teams of some scientific studies. The young doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers from the team of the University of Bucharest had to learn from the Norwegian experience, and the exchange of information and research results between experienced researchers from both partner institutions contributed to the development of knowledge in the field. At the same time, we applied together and won a new project on bilateral funds. We have future plans for joint projects, conferences and research. On the other hand, friendly relations have developed between some members of the two partner institutions, which will surely contribute to the development of the academic partnership.