Russian think tanks underestimated globally largely due to lack of English translations - MGIMO rector
MOSCOW. Feb 1 (Interfax) - Russian think tanks are underestimated in the world primarily because their studies are published mainly in Russian, Rector of Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University) and Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Anatoly Torkunov said.
"First of all, I think that our Russian think tanks are underestimated today. They're underestimated for a number of reasons, which everyone knows well. In this case, I don't even mean some kind of ideological or political component, but the thing is that the global science is mainly in English today. That's just how it's worked out," Torkunov said in a speech given at a regular session of the joint project of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) and Interfax titled 'Russia and the World: A Professional Conversation' on Monday.
For example, China has resolved this issue, he said. "Today, Chinese researchers actively publish in Chinese journals in English. Therefore, their studies are quite well known abroad. Therefore, when experts evaluate the activities of this or that think tank, they, of course, have the opportunity to refer to the source, to the primary source, see these publications," Torkunov said.
"In this regard, it seems to me that we need to take some drastic measures, because we have a lot of interesting studies that are issued by our research institutes and our universities. However, mainly, their only consumer is the Russian public reading in Russian. They still quite rarely reach a foreign reader, observer, or researcher," he said.
IMEMO President and Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Dynkin agreed with Torkunov.
"I agree that the main problem for our think tanks is that, of course, we very rarely have the opportunity to translate our work into English. Therefore, their citation and their circulation are certainly limited," Dynkin said.
Global competition
The decision to extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between Russia and the United States is an example of the practical utilization of analysis done by Russian think tanks, particularly the Russian Academy of Sciences' Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO), Alexander Dynkin said at the fifth expert meeting of IMEMO's joint project with Interfax.
"IMEMO, along with the [Russian Academy of Sciences'] Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies, [particularly] Alexei Arbatov, Sergei Rogov, and Feodor Voitolovsky, have been sounding the alarm uninterruptedly over the past two years to persuade the Americans of the need to extend New START. And we saw that happen recently," Dynkin said in response to a question from Interfax on Monday, as the session discussed the publication of the Global Go To Think Tank Index Report 2020 and reviewed Russian think tanks in global terms.
IMEMO Director Feodor Voitolovsky, who also took part in the expert session, said the institute tries to play an active role in competition between various think tanks.
"We are currently witnessing a new phase, a global phase in the development of think tanks. A formidable market of foreign policy expertise and analysis is being formed. This market sees competition. Of course, most think tanks work either for the governments of their countries or major corporations, or both. But at the same time, they are important actors in international communications, competition, and the battle of ideas," Voitolovsky said.
"In this sense, we are entering a new phase of global competition among scientific analysis entities in the areas of global economy, politics, international relations, and security. IMEMO is also trying to play an active role in this competition," he said.
Valery Garbuzov, director of the Institute of U.S. and Canadian Studies, said at the meeting that think tanks should not only "sit in an ivory tower and write," but also be good at persuasion.
Governments tend to listen to think tanks selectively, chiefly when they encounter problems, Garbuzov said.
There is a need for a system in which "virtually all political decisions concerning the foreign policy behavior of states and international relations are permanently backed by expert analysis," he said.
"I think that would be very important for our country, as well," Garbuzov said.
Some real-life events, such as the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and others, once prompted the Soviet government to set up the Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies, as the country felt the need to formulate its policy toward the U.S. based on knowledge, which has produced results, he said.
'Russia and the World: A Professional Conversation' is a new joint project of IMEMO and Interfax. A series of expert meetings dedicated to the most important events in global politics and economics take part within the project's framework. Scientists, public figures, and officials hold discussions in both online and offline formats which are broadcast on YouTube.
The previous expert meetings as part of this project addressed the following topics:
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The expectations governments around the world have for the U.S. presidential election (October 29)
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Turkey under Erdogan: Global Interests in a Polycentric World (November 26)
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Energy Transition and the Post-Covid World (December 21)
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The United States' foreign policy under President Joe Biden (January 20)