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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Publication
: Report
Slow Stagnation, Sudden Revolution? Post-Covid-19 Prospects for Political Change in Russia and Belarus
2020The Covid-19 pandemic and the impending economic crisis may exacerbate instability in Belarus and Russia. To reduce the risks of regional instability and help to prepare for a possible transition of power, the international community should continue its support for democratic initiatives in the region. To... -
Publication
: Report
The spiralling effects of the Sino-American trade war
2020Almost two years ago, China and the United States instigated a trade conflict which has had serious international effects, a situation since exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. What has truly made a solution to this conflict elusive, however, is that its origins lie well beyond questions of trade deficits... -
Research project
Dynamics of de facto state patron-client relations (DeFacto)
2020 - 2023 (Ongoing)Almost all de facto states that survive for some time have a powerful 'patron' that provides security guarantees and economic support. Too often this has resulted in the de facto states simply being brushed off as hapless pawns in their patron's power play. In 'DeFacto' we challenge...
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Publication
: Academic article
Governing the Arctic: The Russian State Commission for Arctic Development and the Forging of a New Domestic Arctic Policy Agenda
2019After a period of relative neglect in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Arctic is back on the agenda of the Russian authorities. To ensure efficient coordination and implementation of its Arctic strategy, the government in 2015 established a State Commission for Arctic Development. It was to serve as a... -
Mon 25 Nov 2019Event
History as politics in Putin’s Russia
Time: 14:00 Location: NUPIProfessor Alexey Miller give a lecture about Russian memory politics and how memory politics is used and can be understood in relation to the international context.
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Thu 31 Oct 2019Event
Ukraine's energy transition in a new political landscape
Time: 14:00 Location: NUPIThe presidential and parliamentary elections earlier this year resulted in a massive shift of power in Ukrainian politics. How is this affecting the energy sector in Ukraine?
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Fri 8 Nov 2019Event
Russia and the European Human Rights System
Time: 09:00 Location: NUPIThere is a change in Russia's approach to the European Convention on Human Rights. What are the prospects for Russian participation in this system?
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Thu 6 Jun 2019Event
Generation Putin: What’s important to them?
Time: 09:00 Location: NUPIRecent polls show that Russian youths differ from their parents in values and orientations. What impact may this have on their political participation and preferences?
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Mon 27 May 2019Event
The future of Russian arms exports
Time: 13:30 Location: NUPIWill Russian arms export continue to boost Russian influence in the world?
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Publication
: ARTIKKEL
Museums, memory and meaning-creation: (re)constructing the Tajik nation
2019To overcome the traumas of the 1992–1997 civil war, the Tajik authorities have turned to history to anchor their post‐independence nation‐building project. This article explores the role of the National Museum of Tajikistan, examining how the museum discursively contributes to ‘nationalising’ history... -
Publication
: NUPI Policy Brief
The Arctic Council and US domestic policymaking
One widely recognized achievement of the Arctic Council and its various working groups has been the production of collectively generated assessments on Arctic problems. Assessment reports such as the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) provide an important baseline of shared knowledge for making... -
Research project
Competency through Cooperation: Advancing knowledge on Georgia's strategic path (GEOPATH)
2019 - 2022 (Ongoing)GEOPATH is a collaborative research project which aims to build competency in the Georgian research sector as well as producing new insights into the crucial question of Georgia's future strategic path between Russia and the EU.
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Mon 3 Dec 2018Event
Putin’s Russia: Vanguard or rearguard of populism?
Time: 09:00 Location: NUPIWhat are the similarities, differences and linkages between Putin’s Russia and Orban’s Hungary, Trump’s USA and Bolsonaro’s Brazil?
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Tue 13 Nov 2018Event
Ten years after the Russia-Georgia war: Geopolitics of the South Caucasus and Black Sea Regions
Time: 10:00 Location: NUPIMinister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, David Zalkaliani, visits NUPI to talk about the situation in the region ten years after the war.
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Wed 31 Oct 2018Event
How do the Russians view the confrontation with the West?
Time: 09:00 Location: NUPILev Gudkov will give you an insight to the public opinion in Russia in 2018.
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Mon 22 Oct 2018Event
CANCELLED: New conservatism as national consensus in Russia?
Time: 14:30 Location: NUPIUnfortunately, we have to cancel this seminar due to unforeseen events.
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News
The Russia Conference: Cold Peace in the Arctic?
14.09.2018On September 14, NUPI’s Russia Conference took place in Oslo. Couldn’t be there? Watch the entire event, including Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide's key note speech, on YouTube. -
Publication
: Rapport/avhandling
Valdai Paper #92: Russia’s Far East Initiatives in Troubled Geopolitical Times
The China–Russia rapprochement forms the centrepiece of Russia’s much hyped policy of a ‘turn to the East’, a policy aimed at transforming the Russian Far East from a territorial backwater into a new gateway to China, North-East Asia and beyond. In 2013, President Vladimir Putin declared the development... -
Mon 3 Sep 2018Event
How does Russia prepare for a transition of power?
Time: 09:00 Location: NUPIAccording to the Russian Constitution, the current term is the last for President Putin. How will the Russian political system prepare for the transition of power?