Topics in European and Eurasian Studies: Russian Sharp Power Influence in Europe

Intensive Workshop: Four 3-hour sessions will be held on October 5, 6, 7, and 8. Stay tuned for more information!

Open to undergraduate and graduate students

Credit: 0.25 credits

This course examines the evolving patterns, instruments, and political consequences of Russian sharp power influence in Europe and beyond, with a particular focus on electoral interference, disinformation campaigns, economic leverage, and geopolitical influence operations. 

The course will examine three levels of Russian strategic impact: dominance (in the near abroad), preeminence (in post-communist East Central Europe), and influence (in Western Europe and beyond). Special attention will be devoted to ways and strategies of Russian influence on democratic elections, including both successful and unsuccessful cases, the strategies and narratives employed by Kremlin-linked actors, and the varying resilience of democratic institutions across European states. Through the analysis of contemporary case studies, policy debates, public opinion trends, and historical continuities from Soviet ‘active measures’ to modern hybrid warfare, the course explores how authoritarian influence operates in democratic environments, why it succeeds in some contexts while failing in others, and how the targeted societies and institutions have responded to these challenges.