On March 2nd, students in the Graduate Initiative in Russian Studies (GIRS) and Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies (NPTS) degree program participated in an English-language Skype dialogue with students from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). During the discussion, speakers from both sides spoke about U.S. and Russian strategies and objectives in the Arctic region, U.S. and Russian Arctic oil and gas projects and the effect sanctions have had on related joint ventures. This spurred discussion of the prospects for future cooperation, most notably in regional natural resource extraction. At the end of the discussion, the President of the MGIMO Artic Club invited discussion participants and other MIIS students to participate in MGIMO’s Student Arctic Week from September 19-25, 2016. More information regarding this opportunity will soon be available.
This dialogue was the first of a new series of GIRS-MGIMO student dialogues to be conducted in both Russian and English languages on topical international relations issues. MIIS’ second-semester NPTS masters degree candidate Julia Diamond and MGIMO’s fourth-year bachelors degree candidate Adlan Margoev have partnered in organizing these dialogues. Through the talks students will exchange ideas, knowledge and perspectives, contributing to the GIRS mission of educating future specialists on Russia and Eurasia via discourse of the region. Organizers hope that the discussions can serve as a mechanism through which ties between American and Russian students, as well as between MIIS and MGIMO can be strengthened.
The next discussion will occur on April 13 on the topic: fitting the Syria peace talks into the context of U.S.-Russia bilateral relations. Future discussion topics may include but are not limited to:
- Interpretations by Russian- and English-language mass media sources of current events
- The fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
- Nuclear Security: 2016 Nuclear Security Summit
- Prospects for the resolution of the situation in Ukraine in the near term
- Iran and the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
- Impacts on European and Eurasian security of NATO-Russian competition
- Next steps for U.S.-Russian cooperation in relation to North Korea
- The future of the INF Treaty
- U.S.-Russian cooperation on climate after the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21)
- Security and political developments in Afghanistan