On the evening of August 15, 2020, Associate Prof. Guan Guihai, Executive Vice President, Institute of International and Strategic Studies (IISS), offered an online seminar entitled “Importance of Identifying the Identity of Russian International Affairs Scholars” at the invitation of the Special Eurasian Civilization Study Class (hereinafter referred to as “Eurasia Class”) of Shanghai International Studies University (SISU). As the 6th lecture of the third Part “Theory and Methods of Area Studies” of the 2nd SISU Russia – Eurasian Research Methodology Training Camp, the lecture was hosted by Prof. Yang Cheng, Professor of SISU and Executive President, Shanghai Academy of Global Governance & Area Studies, and attracted 260 teachers and students from universities and related research institutions both at home and abroad, including the Eurasia Class.

At the beginning of the lecture, Associate Prof. Guan interpreted the original aim of this topic from three perspectives: First, in consideration of the complexity of discourse production in the post-truth era, researchers should have stronger awareness of tracing the source instead of going with the tide. Second, the research on the international relations has evolved to be a famous and popular discipline where true learners and those seeking for fame and fortune mix together. Third, unlike China, Russia has a long history of inherited family learning. Therefore, it is of great necessity to know about the history of the international affairs scholars with such background so as to grasp their opinions and research contexts. The lecture was given on the basis of the above three points.

Later, Associate Prof. Guan Guihai elaborated on the Russian experts on international issues, decision-making circles, Russian think tanks and the individual decision-making influence of the experts.

 Based on the special relationship between scholars of international affairs and decision-making circle, the identification of the identity of Russian scholars on international issues should first consider their distance from the decision-making circle. For the sake of clarity, Russian scholars can be divided into several systems based on this special relationship, including the Foreign Policy Bureau of the Presidential Administration of Russia, the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the two affiliated institutions of the diplomatic system – Moscow State Institute of International Relations and the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian International Affairs Council under the State Duma and the Federation Council, and the Institute of Strategic Studies directly under the President. In addition, in some systems, individuals have decisive voice and influence, such as, Primakov, Dynkin, and two representatives of Valdai Discussion Club, Karaganov and Lukyanov. This reflects the two-way flow of Russian officials and academics, as well as the prevalence of numerous figures in international relations research circles who are both academics and officials, and senior officials who in turn engage in practice, which is similar to the revolving door of American politics.

  When judging the true value of opinions in an academic circle, Associate Prof. Guan Guihai opined that we should consider the background of think tanks and the individual decision-making influence of the experts and know the funding sources, popularity and international ranking of think tanks, as well as the ranking of individual influence of the experts and their relationship network. He also listed many cases of politicians and academics to prove it. In addition, he suggested that the opinions of officials should be less quoted or not quoted when writing academic papers; meanwhile, we should learn to judge the real value of scholars’ words in different contexts.

  In the conclusion part, Associate Prof. Guan Guihai summarized the following three points: Firstly, the study of international issues is highly politicized, so it is necessary to remove the false and keep the truth when viewing the points; secondly, as a professional discipline, the study of international relations has special disciplinary rules and methodologies, so it is difficult to guarantee a foothold in the academic circle with only disciplinary knowledge training; thirdly, for various reasons, from politics to academia, it is difficult for Chinese experts on international issues to become leaders in Russia. When it comes to the relations between China and Russia, leaders and their political elites play a much bigger role than scholars.

  During the ensuing wonderful Q&A session, when being asked what kind of experts on Russia China needs, Associate Prof. Guan Guihai emphasized that it is more important to get rid of the innate Russian complex and provide a deep and objective understanding, in addition to having a broad vision and a mastery of multilingual literature and comparative studies.

   Associate Prof. Guan Guihai combined his rich personal experience with in-depth analysis of the academic circle of Russian international issues, and gave the participants a humorous and profound lecture. The participants benefited substantially and the lecture boasted a complete success.

Original Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Yx-_Bjw0UGmFczo79p9Nhw

Editor: Li Fangqi, Zeng Chuyuan