21–22 May, 2004
Russia and foreign policy making: strategies and priorities, actors and effectiveness

MGIMO-University of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia

The goals: The convention is intended to address issues related to the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. Our focus will be Russia, but we are very much interested in the comparative perspective as well.

We invite presentations and discussions of major foreign policy strategies and options, including the alternative ones, as well as continuity and change in Russian foreign policy priorities. We hope to encourage the discussion of the role and impact of different state and non-state actors on Russian foreign policy. Finally, we are interested in evaluating the effectiveness of Russian foreign policy from different points of view.

Among suggested problems for discussion are the following:

• What are the conceptual foundations of the foreign policy of the Russian Federation?
• How does the foreign policy strategy of the Russian Federation address new challenges and realities of the modern world?
• How does Russian foreign policy practically respond to new problems facing the modern world?
• Are there viable conceptual and practical alternatives to the present day foreign policy of Russia?
• What are the resources of Russian foreign policy and how successfully have they been utilized?
• Which of the regional dimensions of Russian foreign policy have become most (or least) successful recently and why?
• How does Russia participate and how should it participate in multilateral diplomacy?
• What are the dynamics and the hierarchy of foreign policy priorities of Russia?
• What is the correlation of strategic and tactical aspects of Russian foreign policy?
• What is the continuity and innovation in Russian foreign policy?
• Who takes part in formulating and implementing Russian foreign policy and how?
• What can be done to optimize the foreign policy process in the Russian Federation?
• What role do new actors (big businesses, interest groups, parties, public movements, regions, etc) play in Russian foreign policy?
• What is the mechanism that coordinates different interests while developing and implementing the foreign policy of the Russian Federation?
• How should professional training be carried out in Russia in the sphere of IR?
• What are the criteria of the effectiveness Russian foreign policy in the modern world?
• What are general and specific features in the formulation and implementation of foreign policies of Russia and other states?

Chairman of the Strategic Committee – Anatoly Torkunov, President of RISA, Corresponding member of Russian Academy of Sciences, Rector of MGIMO-University

Chairman of the Program Committee – Andrei Меlville, Vice-President of RISA, Vice-Rector of MGIMO-University

Co-chair of the Program Committee – Marina Lebedeva, Head of the Department of World Politics of MGIMO-University