European Union - Russia: geopolitical issues of the Eurasian continent - IBL Chair

Teacher(s)

Spetschinsky Laetitia;

Language

French

Main themes

History of Euro-Russian relations
Geopolitics of the post-Soviet space: analysis of the borders of the former USSR, latent conflicts, transnational threats, regional integration dynamics (EEU, CSTO, SCO)
EU-Russia issues today: sanctions, strategies of influence, energy and environmental issues
Russian influence strategies around the world

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :
1	This course offers a thorough analysis of challenges arising in the relations between Russia and Europe. It covers political, economical, and security issues in this area, and the institutional tools available for dealing with them. A special attention is dedicated to the EU's external policy from 1988 until today. The overall objective is to provide students with a comprehensive view of the challenges and the processes of the Euro-Russian "common space".

Content

Module 1. Geopolitics of the post-soviet space 

1. Introduction to borders in the post-soviet world
2. The northern border
3. The eastern borders 
4. China and Southeast Asia 
5. The Caucasus and Caspian Sea 
6. Ukraine and Black Sea 
7. Baltic area 
8. Regional integration and organisations: CSTO, EAAU

MODULE 2. Russia politics, economics and security 

1. Russia’s political system 101 + demographics
2. Opposition in Russia 
3. Political thinking: Eurasianism vs Occidentalism
4. Russian foreign policy decision. Actors and processes
5. Economy: resources and trends 
6. Energy focus 
7. Dodging sanctions
8. The military 

MODULE 3. Russia and the world 

1. Influence strategies: the narratives. 
2. Influence strategies: the tools. 
3. Russia in Eurasia 
4. Africa
5. Asia
6. South America 
7. Muslim world 
8. Europe

Module 4. The Eu vs Russia 

1. Coercing Russia 
2. Supporting Ukraine
3. The EU and the world 

Teaching methods

Traditional teaching; a syllabus will be distributed ahead of the spring break

Evaluation methods

Written exam: case analysis

Other information

The schedule is updated every year.
The 2023-2024 course is taught in three « intensive » weeks.

Online resources

https://www.europerussiedebats.org

Teaching materials

• Le dossier de lecture est en cours de mise à jour

Faculty or entity

EURO