Researcher
Helge Blakkisrud
Contactinfo and files
Summary
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.
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.
Expertise
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)
1994-2025 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
Aktivitet
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WEBINAR: Renegotiating patron support for Nagorno-Karabakh after the 2020 war
Last autumn, in a matter of weeks, the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians lost two-thirds of the territory they had controlled since 1994. In the end, only Russian intervention stopped a full reabsorption of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan. How has this affected regional power constellations?
De Facto States and Land-for-Peace Agreements: Territory and Recognition at Odds?
Sovereignty conflicts are inevitably linked to geography. Can there be geographical solutions to secessionist conflicts, which are caught between two principles at cross purposes: the principle of self-determination (defended by de facto states) and the principle of territorial integrity (defended by parent states)?
Mixed Signals: What Putin Says about Gender Equality
Researchers on Russia have noticed that Putin gradually has adopted a more conservative agenda, especially as regards gender issues. But is this reflected in the Russian president's own rhetoric?
Belarus: At the Height of Mobilisation and Repression
Nine months after the massive political protests started as a reaction to the 2020 presidential elections, this webinar examines the state of the political crisis in Belarus.
Trade and trust: the role of trade in de facto state conflict transformation
De facto states – unrecognized secessionist entities that eke out a living on the margins of the international system – are often heavily dependent on external patron states for economic aid and investment. When the parent state – the state that the de facto state seeks to break away from – responds to the secessionist attempt by imposing sanctions or economic blockades, this further exacerbates such dependency. Moreover, due to their lack of international recognition, de facto states often have limited opportunities to engage with the outside world beyond the patron and the parent state. However, closer examination of one such de facto state, Abkhazia, reveals that de facto states can enjoy some bounded independent economic agency. Abkhazia’s maneuvering between Russia as “patron,” Georgia as “parent state,” and the wider international community (here exemplified by the EU) in the sphere of trade and economic interaction has important implications for de-facto state conflict transformation.
Navigating de facto statehood: trade, trust, and agency in Abkhazia's external economic relations
What opportunities and trade-offs do de facto states encounter in developing economic ties with the outside world? This article explores the complex relationship between trade and trust in the context of contested statehood. Most de facto states are heavily dependent on an external patron for economic aid and investment. However, we challenge the widespread assumption that de facto states are merely hapless pawns in the power-play of their patrons. Such an approach fails to capture the conflict dynamics involved. Drawing on a case study of Abkhazia, we explore how this de facto state navigates between its "patron" Russia, its "parent state" Georgia, and the EU. The conflict transformation literature has highlighted the interrelationship between trust and trade – but how does this unfold in the context of continued nonrecognition and contested statehood? Does trade serve to facilitate trust and hence prospects for conflict transformation? With Abkhazia, we find scant correlation between trust and trade: in the absence of formal recognition, trade does not necessarily facilitate trust. However, the interrelationship between trade, trust, and recognition proves more complex than expected: we find less trust in the patron and more trade with the parent than might have been anticipated.
Doubling Down on Arctic Diplomacy
The Arctic looms large in the popular consciousness as a potential new theatre of conflict. But the real risk is that the consuming politics of great power rivalry will deflect attention from the real progress of diplomacy and the everyday work of Arctic governance. This op-ed outlines three key areas that merit greater diplomatic attention and could pay dividends in reducing the impact of great power competition on the rapidly changing Arctic.