During the week of February 8th, the Graduate Initiative in Russian Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey hosted international legal expert Dr. Alexander Vylegzhanin. Professor Vylegzhanin, who is the director of the department of International Law at MGIMO University in Moscow, delivered two lectures in Russian to students, Russian-speakers from the MIIS community, and DTRA faculty and staff from DLI. The firstlecture addressed the role of the Central Arctic Ocean in Contemporary International Law, while the second one explored the mutual interests of Russia and the United States in the Bering Strait from a legal perspective. Both lectures delved into the legal precedents, accords, international organizations that govern how States can use the Arctic. They also addressed the ways in which environmental changes and the current strained relationship between Russia and the United States impact the use and development of this region. Following his lectures, Prof. Vylegzhanin conducted individual consultations with students on their own research interests.
Prof. Vylegzhanin is the first lecturer of the Spring 2016 Visiting Experts Series organized by GIRS. 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