Events of the 20th century convincingly demonstrate that science plays an important role in a country's defending its interests. And it can also facilitate the consolidation of peace between countries during the period of tension, when other political mechanisms have no effect. In 2023 researchers from Saint Petersburg and Chelyabinsk are completing their joint project on the creation of an optimal model of Russia's science diplomacy in the Arctic, within the frameworks of RSF grant No. 22-28-01287.
The research team is headed by Doctor of Sciences (Politics), Professor of the Department of Theory and History of International Relations at St Petersburg University Valerii Konyshev. The project participants also include SPBU Professor Aleksandr Sergunin, Associate Professor of the SUSU Department of International Relations, Political Science and Regional Studies Maksim Gutenev and chief expert from the Information Analysis Office of the Chelyabinsk Regional Centre for Navigation and Information Technologies Ekaterina Boiko.
The scientists have analyzed the theoretical approaches to understanding the nature and character of the Arctic science diplomacy and the positions of the main paradigms of the modern theory of international relations: neorealism, neoliberalism, globalism and postpositivism in the context of the Arctic science diplomacy. In detail they studied the practices of the Arctic science diplomacy in such countries as the USA, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden.
The authors have created a quality model of Russia's science diplomacy in the Arctic and described its strategic and tactic goals, scientific program, institutional arrangement, means and tools of implementation, fields of application, and feedback system. The research also resulted in practical propositions and recommendations on organizing the interaction between universities, research centres, and authorities participating in the development and fulfilment of the Russian Federation's Arctic science diplomacy.
The researchers from SUSU and SPBU share quite a long history of rather successful collaboration. The team released a series of scientific publications in Russian and English both in Russian and foreign top-rated journals.