Event

THE NUPI RUSSIA CONFERENCE 2025 IS NOW FULL, BUT YOU CAN FOLLOW US LIVE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE.

This conference presents the main findings of the RUSMENA project, funded by the Research Council of Norway. Launched in 2021, the project set out to explore Russian foreign policy actions in a group of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in order to better understand Russian power politics and its repertoire.

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the project’s scope was expanded. In addition to the MENA region, the researchers now also examine Russian power practices in the Black Sea region, where Russian actions threaten the existing security architecture in Europe and challenge the global order. 

The structure of this year’s conference reflects this broader perspective and is organized into three thematic sessions.

The first session addresses how Russian power practices can be studied – both in general terms and in the current context. 

The second explores examples of Russia’s power projection in the MENA region and examines how regional actors have responded. It also looks at how Russia has exercised power in the Black Sea region, where it has increasingly relied on military means since 2014, and especially after 2022.

Finally, the third session asks Russia experts and stakeholders to assess the extent to which Russia’s use of power is driven by its quest for recognition as a great power that others must take into account. 

Programme

9:00-9:30            Registration

9:30-9:40            Opening of the Conference by Kari M. Osland, Director of NUPI

9:40-10:15         Keynote speech

• Derek Averre, University of Birmingham, Persistent Factors in Russian Policy towards MENA

10:15-11:30      Panel presentation: How to Study Russian Politics in the Current Context?

Chair: Kristin Fjæstad

• Iver Neumann, FNI; The Practice Turn and the Study of Russian Power Politics
• Karen Philippa Larsen, DIIS; Russian foreign policy prototypes – the Case of the Near and Far Abroads
• Jakub M. Godzimirski, NUPI; Power Discourses, Power Practices and Power Repertoires – Do Actions Speak Louder than Words?

11:30-12:15      Lunch

12:15-13:15      Panel presentation: Russian Power Practices in the MENA and the Black Sea Region

Chair: Matthew Blackburn

• Virginie Collombier, LUISS Mediterranean Platform Rome; Russian soft power practices in the MENA region
• Tine Gade, NUPI; MENA Reception of the Russian Policy – the case of Saudi Arabia 
• Kristian Åtland, FFI; Russian power practices in the Black Sea Region 2014-2025

13:15-13:30      Coffee break

13:30-14:15      Panel discussion: Making Russia Great Again and the New Era of Great Power Competition – Panel Discussion

Moderator: Iver B. Neumann

• Jeffrey Mankoff, National Defense University, Washington DC
• Julie Wilhelmsen, NUPI
• Morten Høglund, MFA Norway
• Luigi Narbone, LUISS Mediterranean Platform Rome

14:15-14.20      Closing remarks, Jakub M. Godzimirski

Related projects

Forskningsprosjekt

2021 - 2025 (Ongoing)

Russian Repertoires of Power in the MENA region (RUSMENA)

The main objective of the RUSMENA project is to examine Russian power practices in the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) region between 2011 and 2021. ...

• Security policy
• Diplomacy
• Foreign policy
• Russia and Eurasia
• The Middle East and North Africa
• Conflict
• Energy

• Security policy
• Diplomacy
• Foreign policy
• Russia and Eurasia
• The Middle East and North Africa
• Conflict
• Energy