The Edinburgh University Europa Institute and Princess Dashkova Russian Centre are pleased to invite you to the following lecture:

‘Revisionist? Neo-imperialist? Anti-Western? Deconstructing Russia’s policies in Ukraine and Syria’

Dr Derek Averre, University of Birmingham

Thursday 9 February, 2-3pm, 50 George Square - Screening Room G.04

Russia’s alleged breaches of international law following the Crimea annexation and apparent disregard for humanitarian considerations in its military support for the Assad regime have damaged Russia’s relations with the West to the extent that, according to one commentator, we are going through ‘not just a spell of bad weather but fundamental climate change’. Concerns have been expressed about a continuing ‘spoiler’ role for Russia in European security governance and a ‘sphere of interest’ extending from Russia’s western neighbourhood to Europe’s southern periphery.  This talk offers a closer examination of recent developments and analyses the opportunities and constraints Moscow faces in its foreign policy.

Dr Derek Averre is Reader in Russian Foreign and Security Policy and former Director of the Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Birmingham. His main research interests focus on Russian foreign and security policy, Russia-Europe relations and arms control/non-proliferation issues. He has co-edited a book and journal special issues and written numerous journal articles and book chapters, as well as organizing a series of policy and academic conferences and presenting widely in the US and Europe on these topics. He is currently leading a work package on a European Commission-funded FP7 project (CASCADE) and coordinating for Birmingham a Marie Curie Research Exchange Scheme (EuinDepth). He is a member of the Editorial Board of the journal European Security.