Igor Alexandrovich Zevelev (
Russian: Игорь Александрович Зевелëв) is a Russian political scientist who has been a Global Fellow at the
Wilson Center since 2020.
Youth and education
Igor Zevelev was born in
Tashkent, former
USSR. In 1966, when he was ten years old, he moved to Moscow with his parents and sister. In 1978 he graduated from the Institute of Asian and African Countries
[ ] at
Lomonosov Moscow State University, where he majored in history and studied
Burmese
Burmese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia
* Burmese people
* Burmese language
* Burmese alphabet
* Burmese cuisine
* Burmese culture
Animals
* Burmese cat
* Burmese chicken
* Burmese (hor ...
,
Chinese, and English. Zevelev defended his Ph.D. in history at
Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1982.
In 1992, he defended his Doctor of Sciences degree (the highest academic rank in
Russia) in political science at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations
(IMEMO) in Moscow.
Career
Igor Zevelev has had an academic and research career intertwined with leadership positions in the fields of
philanthropy
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
and journalism.
After graduating from
Lomonosov Moscow State University's Institute of Asian and African Countries,
Igor Zevelev embarked upon an academic career. From 1981 to 1988, he worked as a research fellow at Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies. From 1988 to 1999, he served as Deputy Director and Head of Department at the Center for Developing Countries at the Moscow Institute of World Economy and International Relations
(IMEMO).
In 1992, Igor Zevelev was invited as visiting professor to the
University of Washington in
Seattle, Washington. This was the first of several visiting professorships in the United States. Throughout the 1990s, he taught at
San Jose State University, at the
University of California, Berkeley, at the
Jackson School of International Studies
The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies (also known as the Jackson School and abbreviated as "JSIS") is a school within the University of Washington's College of Arts and Sciences that specializes in research and instruction in area s ...
of the
University of Washington, and at
Macalester College. Zevelev taught courses pertaining to Russian area studies and
security studies,
international relations,
nationalism,
human rights,
great powers
A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power in ...
and comparative democracy.
In 2000, Zevelev left the United States for a teaching position at the
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
The George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies is a bi-national United States Department of Defense and Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany) security and defense studies institute. When the Marshall Center was founded in 1993, its mi ...
in
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; Bavarian: ''Garmasch-Partakurch''), nicknamed Ga-Pa, is an Alpine ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ''GAP''), in the O ...
, Germany, where he worked as Professor of
Russian Studies for five years.
In 2005, Zevelev returned to
Washington, DC to serve as Washington Bureau Chief for the
RIA Novosti Russian News and Information Agency.
In 2008, Igor Zevelev returned to
Moscow from the United States and took up the position of Director of the
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 50 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.0 billion and p ...
's Russia office. The MacArthur Foundation has awarded more than $173 million in grants to further higher education in Russia, advance human rights, and limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons. After the Foundation’s Russia office was closed down, Igor Zevelev continued his research in the United States. He was a Fellow at the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the
Center for Security and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington in 2016-2017. He also taught at
the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University in 2017. In 2017–2019, Igor Zevelev worked as Professor of National Security Studies at
the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. He has been a Global Fellow at
the Wilson Center
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washi ...
since 2020.
Igor Zevelev has been awarded several research grants in the United States and Europe for research topics pertaining to Russian foreign policy,
international relations and
security studies. These awards include the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship (1996–1997 and 2016–2017) and the Jennings Randolph Program for International Peace Senior Fellowship (1997–1998).
Igor Zevelev was a member of the
Valdai Discussion Club in 2005–2013. He was also the Donors Forum Council member in 2009-2014 and a member of the Sustainable Partnership with Russia (SuPR) Group at the PIR Center in 2010–2014.
Research focus
Igor Zevelev has published five books and about sixty academic articles. Coming from an academic background in
history and
Asian studies
Asian studies is the term used usually in North America and Australia for what in Europe is known as Oriental studies. The field is concerned with the Asian people, their cultures, languages, history and politics. Within the Asian sphere, Asian ...
, Igor Zevelev began his research with the topics of
urbanization and development in
Southeast Asia and
human rights in
Asian countries during the late 1980s and early 1990s. More recently Zevelev has turned to
international politics
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the Scientific method, scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities betwe ...
and worked on Russian foreign policy,
Russia–United States relations, Russia-US-China relations and
international security
International security, also called global security is a term which refers to the measures taken by states and international organizations, such as the United Nations, European Union, and others, to ensure mutual survival and safety. These meas ...
.
One of his major contributions to the fields of
political science and post-Soviet studies was his single-authored book ''Russia and its New Diasporas'' (US Institute of Peace Press 2001), written during Zevelev’s stay at the
United States Institute of Peace and the Wilson Center. In this book, he examines the political significance of new ethnic Russian “
diaspora
A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...
” communities for the future of Eurasian and
international security
International security, also called global security is a term which refers to the measures taken by states and international organizations, such as the United Nations, European Union, and others, to ensure mutual survival and safety. These meas ...
. Zevelev poses questions about Russia’s
national identity, territorial reach, and political influence. Zevelev draws from literature on
ethnicity
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
,
identity and
nationalism analyses the Russian Federation’s official policies towards Russian
diaspora
A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...
over time.
Most of Igor Zevelev’s current work focuses on Russian-American and Russian-Chinese relations, as well as Russian national identity and foreign policy. He places these problems into a broad international comparative context. These efforts are reflected in “Russia’s Contested National Identity and Foreign Policy,” (co-authored with Andrew Kuchins), in Henry Nau and Deepa Ollapally, eds., ''Worldviews of Aspiring Powers'' (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2012); “Russian Perspectives on US-China Relations and the Twenty-First-Century Global System,” in
Aharon Klieman
Aaron (Aharon) S. Klieman (July 27, 1939 – June 17, 2021) was an American-born Israeli historian of international relations who developed the field of international affairs in Israel and abroad. Klieman researched a wide variety of fields in pol ...
, ed., '' Great Powers and Geopolitics. International Affairs in a Rebalancing World''
(Springer, 2015); and ''Russian National Identity and Foreign Policy''
(Washington, DC: CSIS Report, 2016).
Select publications
Books
* ''Russia and Its New Diasporas'' (Washington, DC: The United States Institute of Peace Press, 2001).
* Co-edited with Sharyl Cross, ''Global Security Beyond the Millennium: American and Russian Perspectives'' (London: Macmillan Press, 1999).
* ''Modern Asia: Political Development and Human Rights'' (Moscow: IMEMO, 1991), in Russian.
* ''Urbanization and Development in Asia'' (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1989), in English; (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1990), in Bengali; (Moscow-Delhi-Jaipur: Progress Publishers-People's Publishing House-Rajasthan People's Publishing House, 1990), in Hindi.
* ''Southeast Asia: Urbanization and Problems of Social Development'' (Moscow: Nauka Publishers, 1985), in Russian.
Selected articles, book chapters, and papers
“The Russian World in Moscow’s Strategy,” CSIS Commentary, August 22, 2016.''Russian National Identity and Foreign Policy'' (Washington, DC: CSIS Report, 2016).* “Russian Perspectives on US-China Relations and the Twenty-First-Century Global System,” in
Aharon Klieman
Aaron (Aharon) S. Klieman (July 27, 1939 – June 17, 2021) was an American-born Israeli historian of international relations who developed the field of international affairs in Israel and abroad. Klieman researched a wide variety of fields in pol ...
, ed., ''Great Powers and Geopolitics. International Affairs in a Rebalancing World'' (Springer, 2015).
* “A New Realism for the 21st Century: U.S.-China Relations and Russia’s Choice,” ''Russia in Global Affairs'', no. 6 (2012), in Russian; no. 6 (2012), in English.
* “Russia’s Contested National Identity and Foreign Policy,” (co-authored with Andrew Kuchins), in Henry Nau and Deepa Ollapally, eds., ''Worldviews of Aspiring Powers'' (Ney York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2012).
* “Russian Foreign Policy: Continuity in Change” (co-authored with Andrew Kuchins), ''The Washington Quarterly'' 35, no. 1 (Winter 2012).
* “Russia and the New “Russian World,” in Maria Lipman and Nikolay Petrov, eds., ''Russia in 2020'' (Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,2011), in English. Also published in Russian (Moscow: ROSSPEN, 2012).
* “The ‘Russian Question’ after the Fall of the USSR,” ''Pro et Contra'' 14, no. 4-5 (July- October 2010), in Russian.
* “Russian-American Relations in Global Context,” in V. Sumskiy and V. Khoros, eds., ''The North-the South-Russia, 2009 Yearbook'' (Moscow: IMEMO RAN, 2010), in Russian.
* “The Future of Russia: Nation or Civilization?” ''Russia in Global Affairs'' 7, no. 5 (2009), in Russian; 7, no 4 (2009), in English.
* “Compatriots” in the Russian Policy in the Post-Soviet Space: Imperial Legacy and State Pragmatism,” in A. Miller, ed., ''The Legacy of the Empires and Russia’s Future'' (Moscow: NLO, 2008), in Russian.
* “Russia’s Policy Toward Compatriots in the Former Soviet Union,” ''Russia in Global Affairs'' 6, no. 1 (2008), in Russian; 6, no 1 (2008), in English.
* “Diasporas in Russia’s Security Strategy,” in R. Wirsing and R. Azizian, eds., ''Ethnic Diasporas and Great Power Strategies in Asia'' (New Delhi: India Research Press and Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, 2007).
* “Russia and China in the Mirror of the US Policies,” (co-authored with Mikhail Troitsky''), Russia in Global Affairs'' 5, no. 5 (2007), in Russian; no. 4, in English.
* “Semiotics of the American-Russian Relations” (co-authored with Mikhail Troitsky), ''World Economy and International Relations'', no. 1 (2007), in Russian.
* ''Power and Influence in the US-Russian Relations: Semiotic Analysis'' (co-authored with Mikhail Troitsky), Moscow: NOFMO, 2006, in Russian.
* “Russian and American National Identity, Foreign Policy, and Bilateral Relations'',” International Politics'' 39, no. 4 (2002).
Interviews, presentations, and commentaries
Online event Russia post Soviet space national identity and citizenship regime(alternative link
YouTubeUS-Russia relations worse the cold warRussian national identity and foreign policywww.bfm.ruwww.csis.orgYouTubewww.rbc.ruYouTubeAmerican views US-Russian relationswww.c-spanvideo.orgvoiceofrussia.comonpoint.wbur.orgwww.c-spanvideo.org
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zevelev, Igor
Russian political scientists
Living people
Writers from Tashkent
Moscow State University alumni
Russian international relations scholars
Year of birth missing (living people)
Academic staff of the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies