Helge Blakkisrud

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Helge 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 has been a guest lecturer at the OSCE Academy, Bishkek, since 2008. In 2009–2010, he was a Fulbright Visiting Fellow at UC Berkeley.
Education
1996- PhD-programme (Political Science), University of Oslo
1995 Cand.Polit. (Political Science) from University of Oslo. Dissertation: De russiske minoritetene i Estland og Latvia. Minoriteters responsstrategier ved endrede rammebetingelser
Work Experience
1995 Senior Research Fellow/Head of Research Group on Russia, Asia and International Trade, NUPI
2018- Part time position, Norwegian University Centre, St Petersburg
1995- OSCE Election Observer (various elections in Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Bosnia-Herzegovina)
1994- Editor in Chief, Nordisk Østforum (Nordic Journal of East European and Post-Soviet Studies
1994 Member of the CSSE Mission in Latvia. Leader of the Mission's mobile team
Publications All publications
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Russkii as the New Rossiiskii? Nation-Building in Russia After 1991
Publication | 2022Russia’s post-1991 nation-building project has been torn between competing interpretations of national identity. Whereas the other former Soviet repu1
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Trade, Trust, and De Facto State Conflicts: Abkhazia’s International Economic Engagement
Publication : Popular scientific article | 2021Does trade really foster trust? In the case of conflict-torn regions, developing trade links is often believed to contribute to transforming conflict1
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Bennich-Björkman, Li & Sergiy Kurbatov, eds. When the Future Came: The Collapse of the USSR and the Emergence of National Memory in Post-Soviet His...
Publication : Book review | 2021Perestroika, the fateful years when Mikhail Gorbachev's plans for reforming the Soviet structure ended with the Union’s full collapse, is for ma1
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Geir Flikke: Russlands rebeller: Protest og reaksjon i Putins Russland (2011–2020)
Publication : Book review | 2021Based on a review of extensive source material, Geir Flikke describes how Alexei Navalny has gradually evolved into becoming one of the Russian oppos1
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Russia's Neighborhood Policy and Its Eurasian Client States: No Autocracy Export
Publication : Academic article | 2021Do authoritarian regimes engage in active export of their political systems? Or are they primarily concerned about their geopolitical interests? This1
Projects All projects
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Dynamics of de facto state patron-client relations (DeFacto)
Research project | 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 simp...
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Competency through Cooperation: Advancing knowledge on Georgia's strategic path (GEOPATH)
Research project | 2018 - 2022 (Completed)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 strategi...
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Great Powers and Arctic Politics (GPARC)
Research project | 2017 - 2020 (Completed)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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Can cooperative Russian and Western Arctic policies survive the current crisis in Russian-Western relations? (CANARCT)
Research project | 2016 - 2019 (Completed)This project addresses Russia's Arctic policy provisions compared with other states. Can cooperative Russian and Western Arctic policies survive the current crisis in Russian-Western relations?...
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Developments in the Russian Far East (RFE)
Research project | 2014 - 2016 (Completed)The project "Developments in the Russian Far East" looks at Russian decision-making and international engagement around development of Russia’s Pacific coast....
Events All events
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Russia’s New State Ideology: Engineering Structures and Actors
EventThu 15 Jun 2023Time: 14:30 Europe/Oslo | Location: NUPIHow has war affected the Kremlin’s thinking around a new state ideology? In this seminar Professor Marlene Laruelle explores the Kremlin’s new mechanisms for indoctrination and the new names that have emerged as key actors working in the ideological production workshop.
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COVspiracy? COVID-19 conspiracy theories in Putin’s Russia
EventTue 6 Dec 2022Time: 09:00 Europe/Oslo | Location: NUPI/Live stream to Facebook and YouTubeFor years the Kremlin has been promoting conspiracy theories to legitimize its actions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the regime itself became the target of such theories.
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How do contested states seek international recognition? The case of Abkhazia
EventMon 31 Oct 2022Time: 12:00 Europe/Oslo | Location: NUPI / Livestream to Facebook and YoutubeAbkhazia’s contested status is a source of geopolitical conflict between states and alliances. But how has the campaign to expand this unrecognised state’s network of diplomatic contacts been conducted?
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Georgia at a Crossroads: Is Tbilisi losing its strategic compass?
EventFri 14 Oct 2022Time: 09:00 Europe/Oslo | Location: NUPIThe Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has changed the security of the Black Sea region forever.
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How Important Are Traditional Values for Putin’s Support?
EventTue 30 Aug 2022Time: 09:00 Europe/Oslo | Location: NUPIMay Putin in fact be losing more support than he is winning when he “talks conservative”?
Articles All articles
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PODCAST: Abkhazia between Russia and the outside world
1 Nov 2022The World Stage takes a closer look at Abkhazia, a de facto state in Southern Caucasus, and focus on its efforts to secure diplomatic ties in the pos1
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Russia, Asia and International Trade
3 Jan 2022What is the role of Russia, the Arctic and Asia in global politics? How are these societies developing? How do international trade, innovation and po1