School of International Regional Studies

Publications

• Book

  Klimov I., Chepeleva M., Gavrilov K. et al.

  The non-profit sector in the BRICS countries: current structure and development trends. Executive Summary

  This research study was conducted at the initiative of the Civil BRICS Council for the purpose
  of performing a systemic analysis of the non-profit sector (hereinafter, the ‘NPO sector’),
  encompassing both non-profit organizations (NPOs) and non-governmental organizations
  (NGOs), in each of the constituent member countries of BRICS. Since February 2025, BRICS
  has consisted of 10 member states: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia,
  South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The framework of this research work
  encompasses individual in-depth studies of the respective NPO sectors of each member
  state, thus enabling the researchers to pinpoint both consistent patterns common to all
  member states and country-specific features of NPO sector development in member states
  taken individually, within the overall context of the expanded BRICS.
  This report resulted from a desk research study covering an analysis of relevant open source
  data, statistics, and sector-specific publications and studies, as well as materials gleaned from
  interviews with and surveys of experts and NPO/NGO representatives who have in-depth
  knowledge of the NPO sector in their respective countries. The overall purpose of the study
  is to provide the Civil BRICS Council with critical information to guide its decision-making on
  the question of whether to expand the Council’s membership and in developing a strategy
  for its further operations. In addition, the study was undertaken with the supplemental aim
  of facilitating greater mutual understanding and reciprocity between the civil societies of
  BRICS member states, as well as identifying key commonalities among them.
   

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Civil BRICS Council, 2026.

• Article

  Seyedi Asl S., Demidov M. D.

  The reality of SpaceX in the us space policy from an astropolitical perspective

  In recent years, several nations, including China, India, Japan, and developing countries like Iran, have made significant advancements in their space research sectors. Only Russia and the United States consider themselves the foremost space powers, allocating billions annually to sustain their equipment and information dominance. However, in less than ten years, space and its mineral and energy resources seem to be the focus of massive competitions between great powers, creating new intersections between corporations and governments, and, of course, between corporations and governments. A new breed of astropolitical competitions will result from this. Consequently, geopolitical certainty on Earth and the strategic equations of the space realm can be reinterpreted. On the other hand, the United States dedicates a significant portion of its military and research budget to the United States Space Research Organization, or NASA, for this astropolitical conflict.

  New Era International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Researches. 2026. Vol. 11. No. 32. P. 1-17.

• Book chapter

  Makarov I. A., Chistikova A.

  Climate change and national security in Russia

  This chapter describes climate security discourse and practices developing in Russia for the last decade. It reveals that, while Russia faces severe physical risks from climate change, climate change is scarcely perceived as an existential threat among key decision-makers and the population. The country’s climate policies are more focused on adaptation, while its mitigation policy framework is more oriented on helping Russian businesses avoid hurdles on foreign markets, not on significantly cutting emissions. This situation reflects a parallel securitization process, wherein the global green transition is regarded as a threat to Russia’s fossil fuel-dependent economy. These economic considerations, coupled with climate change skepticism and narratives that emphasize the benefits of climate change, have led to the perception of the green transition as a “climate agenda,” i.e., a temporary process imposed on Russia externally. Internationally, Russia opposes the inclusion of climate change in the global security agenda. The chapter concludes that Russia’s climate policy is an outcome of this complex interplay of the two threats, and is characterized by high emphasis on adaptation but little motivation to enhance ambition on mitigation, and by sensitivity to the external political environment and to the remaining interest of certain businesses in voluntary climate efforts.

  In bk.: Climate Change, National Security and Geopolitics: Strategies and Responses of Five Major Powers. NY: Routledge, 2026. Ch. 5. P. 82-102.

• Working paper

  Shein S., Ryzhkin E.

  Towards A Common Vision? Populist Radical Right Parties’ Positions On The Eu Common Foreign And Security Policy Towards Russia

  The growth of populism in the EU member states, as a large-scale internal challenge to the European integration project, has a projection on foreign policy of both national states and the European Union. The EU foreign policy, towards Russia, is the area where the deviation of populist programs and strategies from the positions of the mainstream is most clearly manifested. In this regard, it is necessary to determine the foreign policy orientations of the populist radical right parties of the EU member states regarding the EU foreign policy, towards Russia, and opportunities for their synchronization. The main conclusion of this research is that populist foreign policy orientations highlight the internal heterogeneity of the populist phenomenon. Populism in power and in opposition does not have the capacity to change the EU's foreign policy towards Russia. The nature of populism as an ideology, the instrumental use by right populists of the “theme of Russia” for “internal consumption”, and their mainstreaming in power are a significant barrier to the real challenge of the EU policy towards Russia

  Political Science. PS. Высшая школа экономики, 2022. No. 89.