About the School

Established in 2014, the School of International Affairs became the successor to the Department of World Politics, which was founded in 2006 as part of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs due to the urgent need to train highly qualified international specialists for government service, academia, the media, and international business. The formation of a newly independent Russia created a large demand for the development of commercial, social, and informal political contacts with the outside world. Only a limited number of universities were training specialists for this work, however, and the ones that were focused almost exclusively on government needs.

With the societal and economic changes that had occurred in Russia, the country’s foreign policy was in need of employees from academic, social, and political organizations, as well as those from the private sector who wanted to share their academic views and practical experience with the younger generation. The HSE Department of World Politics became a place for the expression of ideas, and the Department made it possible for these ideas to be brought to students. The Department’s activities initially stood out due to key developments made by the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy and the journal Russia in Global Politics.The journal’s most prominent authors were brought in to hold workshops, and students became involved in key projects of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy.

The unique chance arose to create an academic community that was new in spirit, form, and ideas. This community began forming around S. A. Karaganov, S.V. Kortunov, and A. I. Utkin. An array of other recognized scholars then joined this community, including G. I. Mirskiy, Y. I. Rubinsky, and V. M. Davydov, as well as sandwich-generation specialists such as A. V. Lukin, M. V. Bratersky, and T.V. Bordachev. Soon after, Department staff came to include young and talented researchers like D. V. Suslov, T. A. Romanova, E. S. Zinovyeva, and A. S. Skriba.

In 2014, amid university-wide reorganization, the Department of World Politics was transformed into the School of International Affairs, which was meant to lead to more concentrated efforts on academic work, as well as to the development of a unique development vision for the new age.

Key aspects of the School of International Affairs’ academic framework:

• A close relationship is maintained between world politics and world economics.
• The School promotes worldviews based on pronounced realism.
• Research combines both Western and Eastern areas of focus.
• The School strives for innovation in academic and instructional subject matters, and staff are expected to maintain a high level of publication activity. In addition, staff are involved in international political dialogues, including as consultants and experts.
• A number of courses are taught in English.
• Classes are held in an interactive format, and courses are held to the world’s best educational standards.

The School of International Affairs currently has a global politics research and teaching group that is considered a leader among academic and expert circles.

Among the School's staff are leading Russian and international researchers, PhDs and PhD candidates, and world-renowned politicians. They all publish actively in prominent Russian and foreign academic journals, and they produce countless academic monographs and academic publications.

Faculty of the School of International Affairs combine teaching, research, and practice in the field of international relations, and they serve as experts, analysts, authors, journalists, and consultants to the public and private sectors. This ensures that students of the School gain exposure to a unique array of academic and professional disciplines.

Within the School, faculty members teach at the bachelor's, master's, and post-graduate levels. In addition, a large portion of classes are specially developed by School staff in accordance with the highest standards that exist for higher education in the field of international relations.