Clandestine Statecraft: Russian Foreign Policy and Corruption in Europe and Asia

Lead Research Organisation: University of Oxford
Department Name: Politics and International Relations

Abstract

Drawing on data leaks, investigative reports, and elite interviews, my research looks at if and when Russia uses corruption networks to advance its foreign policy in Europe and Asia. The study of corruption has grown precipitously over the past two decades. In International Relations (IR), this has recently led to the study of transnational corruption networks. These consist of the financial intermediaries and middle-men that make corruption both possible and profitable in the modern international economy. Particularly in studies of post-Soviet Eurasia, scholars have suggested these networks could come under the influence of regional powers. This is taken further by Western think tanks and policymakers who frequently decry the "weaponization" of corruption by states like Russia and China. Yet, to date, there has been no thorough academic treatment of this phenomenon: its existence, logics, and limits.

My research therefore seeks to determine the conditions under which corruption might be a viable foreign policy tool, and the logic motivating the actors involved. In so doing, I hope to contribute to rich bodies of work on the international dimensions of corruption and Russian foreign policy

People

ORCID iD

Kishan Maher (Student)

Publications

10 25 50

Studentship Projects

Project Reference Relationship Related To Start End Student Name
ES/P000649/1 30/09/2017 29/09/2028
2426402 Studentship ES/P000649/1 30/09/2020 29/09/2022 Kishan Maher