THE LANDSCAPE OF RUSSIAN FOREIGN POLICY THINK TANKS

The think tanks here below do represent the dominant mainstream of the Russian foreign policy expert community with relevance for both policy and public debate. Think tanks beyond this selection usually (still) lack political relevance and critical mass, study foreign policy only in passing, or focus on concrete world regions with a dominant domestic policy perspective. Finally, some think tanks that have been active in the past have either been shut down or reduced their activities to a minimum.

It is important to emphasize that most Russian (foreign policy) think tanks are very small and depend on the leadership and engagement of just one or two persons. Hence, think tanks are usually heavily interrelated on an interpersonal level with individual analysts working simultaneously for several institutions. Because foreign policy is not a professionally clear-cut field of knowledge production, there are also overlaps with institutions dealing dominantly with economic and military policy issues.  

Russian think tanks working on foreign policy issues can be divided into three basic groups depending on type of ownership and how they evolved historically. First, there are academic state-funded institutions, which include research institutes within the system of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) and state universities with faculties focused on studying foreign policy and international relations. Second, the collapse of the Soviet Union enabled not only former scholars but also journalists and military officers to establish their own private think tanks, particularly in the 1990s. Although many folded over time, some are still operating in distinct niches despite increasing political pressure. Finally, since the late 2000s the Russian state, with its growing political ambitions and economic potential, has actively invested in the creation of (foreign policy) think tanks and intellectual platforms. Nevertheless,  the source of this support has been neither monolithic nor unambiguous. Rather, state-sponsored think tanks represent, to some extent, different positions and power struggles within the political elite.

Academic and University-Based Think Tanks

1. Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) (300-330 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: $ 2.9 million https://www.imemo.ru
2. Institute for US and Canadian Studies (ISKRAN) (80-90 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019 $ 1.1-1.4 million https//www/iskran.ru/engl
3. Institute for International Studies (IMI(MGIMO) (50-60 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: N/A https://www.english.mgimo.ru
4. Center for Comprehensive Europe and International Studies (CCEIS (HSE) (15-20 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: N/A  https://cceis.hse.ru

Private Think Tanks

1. Center for Political Research in Russia (PIR) (5-10 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: N/A https://www.pircenter.org
2. Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) (5-10 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: $0.5-0.7 million https://www.cast.ru/eng
3. Center for Energy and Security Studies (CENESS) Less than 5 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: N/A https://www.ceness-russia.org/engl

State-Sponsored Think Tanks

1. Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (SVOP) (Less than 5 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: $ 0.9 million https://www.svop.ru
2. Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISI) (120 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: N/A https://www.en.riss.ru
3. Council for Strategic Research (CSR) (20-40 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: $ 5.4 million https://www.csr.ru
4. Valdai Discussion Club (Valdai): (10-20 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: N/A https://www.valdaiclub.com
5. Institute for Contemporary Development (INSOR) (10-15 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: N/A https://www.insor-russian.ru
6. Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) (35 Permanent Research Staff, Annual Budget 2019: $ 1.6 to 2.1 million https://www.russiancouncil.ru