The Russian Science of International Relations and the Flagship of MGIMO University

The article traces the formation of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (University) as Russia’s leading educational institution and analytical research center. MGIMO’s achievements in creating new academic and educational units, training specialists, consolidating leading journals, and attracting top experts in the field of international relations are truly significant. This process gained strong momentum after the end of the Cold War. Owing to the Institute’s leadership, sustained attention has always been paid to developing the theoretical foundations of Russian international-political analysis, involving not only subject-area experts in teaching and research but also theorists who shape the broader intellectual foundations of the national school of international relations. Almost immediately after the emergence of post-Soviet Russia, the Institute’s leadership–headed by Rector A. V. Torkunov and First Vice-Rector I. G. Tyulin–set a strategic objective to develop new intellectual foundations for Russia’s role in the world and to build its own school within IR theory. The article pays particular attention to three interrelated tasks pursued with MGIMO’s active involvement that underpin its flagship role in Russian IR scholarship: integrating the achievements of Western scholarship; forming a “great-power” consensus necessary for the development of a national school; and ensuring openness to the world from the standpoint of a country with its own value system. None of these tasks is dogmatic; each requires constant renewal and sustained effort. Recording the progress made is essential to understanding the current stage of development at MGIMO and within contemporary Russian IR scholarship associated with the Institute’s activities. A defining feature of the present stage is MGIMO’s transformation into a full-fledged world-class university that meets the highest standards in education, research, and expert-analytical work.

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