BEAR Network Launch Workshop

This first Network workshop examines the EU and Russia as transnational actors in regards to regional integration and “soft power,” transnational diasporas, and their relations with their host- and kin-states (Russians abroad and other external minorities). The focus is on the EU and Russia’s influence on integration efforts, and on the role of transnational groups, such as diasporas, in such efforts. As such, this workshop addresses the following two broad questions:

– How do the EU and Russia affect the relationships between kin-states and diasporas, as well as between states and stateless peoples?

– In what respects are the EU and Russia’s regional connectivity/integration projects competitive vs. complementary?