Dr. Tatiana Zakaurtseva, First Vice-Rector of the Institute of Contemporary International Studies at the Diplomatic Academy of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation, will present two lectures at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in mid November. Her presentations, which will be delivered in Russian, will focus on tracing the evolution of contemporary Russian foreign policy doctrine, as well as assessing Russia’s role within BRICS. These lectures will be held from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies on Tuesday, November 17 and Thursday, November 19. Prof. Zakaurtseva’s lecture on Tuesday is dedicated to the memory of preeminent Russian political scientist Dr. Natalya Bazhanova.
Dr. Zakaurtseva is one of the foremost Russian experts on modern American history, theory, the history of international relations, foreign policy, and regional issues in the Eurasia space. She has published more than 50 articles, book chapters, and textbooks on these subjects, and she is active in numerous domestic and international fora within her field, including the Expert Council on Foreign Relations of the Russian Federation. Dr. Zakaurtseva’s visit to MIIS was organized by the Graduate Initiative in Russian Studies at MIIS, whose Visiting Experts program brings leaders in Russian foreign and domestic policy to Monterey. Dr. Zakaurtseva is the last of six lecturers to visit the MIIS campus this semester through the GIRS program. The Visiting Experts program is a foundational element of the GIRS initiative, alongside three other objectives: a field research trip to the Russian Far East for MIIS and Middlebury students led by Professor Tsuneo Akaha; coordinating and supporting MIIS students in undertaking summer research and internship opportunities in Russia; and translating weekly public opinion polls conducted by the Levada-center from Russian to English. For more information on the list of upcoming experts for this semester and on the Initiative itself, please visit: http://www.miis.edu/academics/researchcenters/russian-studies