Russian science diplomacy at a crossroads: Positive and normative analysis

Abstract

Nowadays, science diplomacy tends to be one of the most relevant and essential fields of applied research in International Relations. In general, it is a functional expression of both foreign and science policy conducted by states and non-state actors in the world arena. The emergence of the modern concept of science diplomacy has been taking place since the second half of the 2000s linking research and diplomatic practices. Still, most of the existing literature can be described as somewhat fragmentary and focusing on specific case studies without providing a holistic picture of national science diplomacy models, including the Russian one. The article casts light upon the critical features of the Russian science diplomacy complex based on a systematic approach. It looks into its three main elements, i.e., "science in diplomacy," "diplomacy for science," and "science for diplomacy." In this context, the article analyses the activity of the Russian science diplomacy main stakeholders in positive and normative terms. The synthesis of the respective results reveals structural drawbacks of the system in question, which in 2020 have become even more acute than they used to be before. The outlined trends and tendencies infer that the ongoing pandemic did hardly bring on new problems but speeded up processes, which have already around this field. Working from these premises, the author formulates several policy recommendations to optimize current practices, which decision-makers can use in science diplomacy and foreign affairs.