Helge Blakkisrud
Senior Research Fellow, Head of the Research group on Russia, Asia and International TradeHelge Blakkisrud’s main research interests include Russian federalism and centre–region relations, in particular, the development of the institution of governors. Research interests also include Russia's High North/Arctic policy, nationality policy and Russian nationalism, as well as processes of state-building and nation-building in Eurasia, especially in Eurasian de facto states.
Blakkisrud is editor of Nordisk Østforum, a Nordic peer-reviewed journal for Russian and East European studies. He is head of the Research group on Russia, Asia and International Trade.
He has been a guest lecturer at the OSCE Academy, Bishkek, since 2008. In 2009–2010, he was a Fulbright Visiting Fellow at UC Berkeley.
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Mon 19 Mar 2018Event
Six new years with Putin – what now?
Time: 14:30 Location: NUPIOn 18 March Vladimir Putin will by all appearances be re-elected for a new six-year term as President. What will this mean for Russia?
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Publication
: Del av bok/rapport
An Asian Pivot Starts at Home: The Russian Far East in Russian Regional Policy
2018To realize its ambitious goals of turning the Far East into Russia’s gateway to the Asia-Pacific, the Kremlin in 2012 established the Ministry for the Development of the Far East. Structurally, this ministry is a hybrid, with offices at the federal and the regional levels, reflecting both Moscow’s centralized... -
Publication
: Del av bok/rapport
'Restore Moscow to the Muscovites': Othering 'the migrants' in the 2013 Moscow mayoral elections
2018Today, the Russian Federation has the second largest migrant population in the world in absolute numbers. The chapter looks at what role these migrants – and migrantophobia – play in Russian contemporary identity discourse through the lens of the 2013 Moscow mayoral elections. On the eve of these elections,... -
Publication
: ANTOLOGI
Russia before and after Crimea: Nationalism and Identity, 2010-17
2018Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 marked a watershed in post-Cold War European history and brought East–West relations to a low. At the same time, by selling this fateful action in starkly nationalist language, the Putin regime achieved record-high popularity. This book shows how, after the large-scale... -
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: Del av bok/rapport
Introduction: Exploring Russian nationalisms
2018In the introductory chapter, the two editors, Pål Kolstø and Helge Blakkisrud, argue that in Putin's third period as president, nationalism has become even more important for understanding Russian politics and society than before. Prior to the annexation of Crimea, the influx of low-skilled labour... -
Publication
: Del av bok/rapport
Gateway or Garrison? Border regions in times of geopolitical crisis
Russia's border regions have had moments as open 'gateways' to cooperation. More often, however, the border has been viewed as a 'garrison': an outpost of state power. This chapter places the Russian Far East in the broader context of Russia's pursuit of economic development... -
Publication
: Del av bok/rapport
Afterword: 6400 kilometers away - but not a policy world apart
The Afterword presents two key findings from this volume. First, while numerous new strategy documents and instruments have been adopted in recent years, contributing authors voice concern about the steps Moscow has taken to translate lofty ideas into practical policies. Second, the key initiatives were... -
Research project
Great Powers and Arctic Politics (GPARC)
2017 - 2020 (Ongoing)GPARC aims to provide up-to-date academic and policy analyses of how major powers (USA, Russia, China) set parameters for and intervene in the maritime politics of the Arctic.
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Publication
: ANTOLOGI
Russia's Turn to the East - Domestic Policymaking and Regional Cooperation
2018This book is open access under a CC BY license. This book explores if and how Russian policies towards the Far East region of the country – and East Asia more broadly – have changed since the onset of the Ukraine crisis and Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Following the 2014 annexation and the subsequent... -
News
NEW BOOK: Is Russia turning its back on the West?
17.01.2018Has Russia strengthened its ties to East Asia – pulled back from the West? -
Thu 1 Feb 2018Event
Armenia-Turkey Relations – torn between past and future
Time: 09:00 Location: NUPIVahram Ter-Matevosyan talks about the complicated relationship between Turkey and Armenia, a situation that has been at a standstill for the past 26 years.
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News
VIDEO: Russia and the West – competing realities
04.12.2017NUPI’s annual Russia conference drew a full house. -
Publication
: ARTIKKEL
Regime Development and Patron–Client Relations: The 2016 Transnistrian Presidential Elections and the "Russia Factor"
2017In December 2016, Transnistria held presidential elections in which, after an exceptionally loud and dirty campaign, the incumbent yielded power to his main opponent. This article explores regime evolution in the breakaway republic through the prism of these elections. First, drawing on the literature... -
Publication
: BOKANMELDELSE
Book symposium. The new Russian nationalism: imperialism, ethnicity and authoritarianism 2000–2015
2017From the symposium: 'The New Russian Nationalism: Imperialism, Ethnicity and Authoritarianism 2000–15 is a timely volume that presents readers with a rich and up-to-date analysis of the content of, contestation over, and consequences of Russian nationalism under Putin. The editors brought together... -
Publication
: ARTIKKEL
Stavropol as "Russia's Kosovo"? Nationalist mobilization and public response in a Russian region
2017Russian nationalism after Crimea is commonly depicted as aggressive and expansionist – but few Russian ethno-nationalists would accept this description. Quite the contrary: they would argue that ethnic Russians as the majority population find themselves under “under siege” from ethnic minorities. A case... -
Publication
: NUPI Policy Brief
Russia's turn to the East: The Ministry for the Development of the Far East, and the domestic dimension
2017Russia’s recently proclaimed turn toward Asia is fuelled by expectations of reaping benefits from integrating with the fast-growing markets of Northeast Asia. However, such a geoeconomic reorientation requires a viable springboard in the Russian Far East. For all the talk about Asia–Pacific markets,... -
Publication
: ARTIKKEL
Female heroes in a man's world: The construction of female heroes in Kyrgyzstan's symbolic nation-building
2017This article explores how Kurmanzhan Datka and other female heroes fit into the heavily male-dominated narrative traditionally promoted by Kyrgyz nation-builders. From a reading of state-approved secondary school history textbooks, the article traces the construction of female heroes and discusses how... -
Fri 16 Jun 2017Event
Small states on the grand chessboard – the case of Moldova
Time: 10:30 Location: NUPIMinister of Foreign affairs of Moldova, H.E. Mr. Andrei Galbur, will give a lecture on the foreign policy objectives of the Republic of Moldova in the current international security environment which confronts itself with an unprecedented number of old and emerging challenges.
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News
Your weekly NUPI recap - week 17
28.04.2017A NUPI week full of events has come to an end. Catch up here. -
Fri 28 Apr 2017Event
Transformation during War: Mission possible. Ukrainian takeaways for West
Time: 09:00 Location: NUPINUPI has the pleasure of inviting you to this seminar where the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration will talk about the situation in the country.