Professional Affiliation

Former Professor at George Marshall European Center for Security Studies; Former Director, MacArthur Foundation, Moscow Office

Expert Bio

Igor Zevelev was Professor of National Security Studies at George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in 2017-2019. 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. Igor Zevelev was Director of the Russia Office at the MacArthur Foundation in 2008-2016. He holds a Doctor of Sciences degree in political science from the Institute of International Relations and World Economy (IMEMO) in Moscow, where he served as Head of Department. He has held visiting professorships at the University of Washington, the University of California at Berkeley, Macalester College, and has published five books and numerous articles. His current research interests are in the fields of national identity discourses, nationalism, foreign policy, and Russian-American relations.

Wilson Center Project

Russian Policies towards Russians in Neighboring States after the Annexation of Crimea

Project Summary

Do Russia’s policies towards Russian communities in its neighboring states challenge the political map of Eurasia? The aim of this project is to answer this question by carrying out an analysis of three key narratives that inform Russian policies: the narrative of “the Russian World,” “the Russian civilization,” and “a divided people.” The project examines the history and current theoretical debates related to the evolution of these narratives and their corresponding policy tools, and analyzes their consequences for the peace and security of countries that neighbor Russia in 2014-2020.

Major Publications

Russian National Identity and Foreign Policy (Washington, DC: CSIS Report, 2016). https://www.csis.org/analysis/russian-national-identity-and-foreign-policy

“Russian Perspectives on US-China Relations and the Twenty-First-Century Global System,” in Aharon Klieman, ed., Great Powers and Geopolitics. International Affairs in a Rebalancing World (Springer, 2015)

Russia and Its New Diasporas (Washington, DC: The United States Institute of Peace Press, 2001).

Previous Terms

George F. Kennan Fellow, Kennan Institute, 12/01/2019-2/01/2020

Short-Term Scholar, Kennan Institute, "Human Rights in the Relations between Russia and Other Successor States" (April 1, 1994 - May 1, 1994)