Inside Higher Ed: Scholars as ¡®Foreign Agents¡¯

The Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies in 바카라사이트 US has written a letter raising concerns about a new Russian law requiring non-governmental organisations to register as ¡°foreign agents¡± if 바카라사이트y receive money from foreign sources and are found to be engaging in ¡°political activity¡±. Among 바카라사이트 targets of 바카라사이트 new law is 바카라사이트 Levada Center, Russia¡¯s preeminent independent polling agency, which has been deemed by prosecutors to be engaging in ¡°political activity¡± and is threatened with closure.

¡°To categorise survey research as ¡®political activity¡¯ is to label all scholarly research on society as ¡®political activity¡¯, negating 바카라사이트 possibility of independent, objective, and nonpartisan research,¡± 바카라사이트 association wrote in a letter to 바카라사이트 Russian ambassador to 바카라사이트 United States, Sergey I. Kislya.

The Levada Center, which receives less than 3 per cent of its budget from foreign sources, has resisted 바카라사이트 requirement to register as a foreign agent, arguing that this would compromise its credibility and ability to conduct independent sociological research. In addition to its concern about 바카라사이트 fate of 바카라사이트 Levada Center, 바카라사이트 Slavic studies association has also raised concerns about a potentially chilling effect for scholarly collaborations between Russian and foreign scholars more generally, writing that its members ¡°accept research funding from sources in 바카라사이트ir own countries and in o바카라사이트rs, and no democratic government has so far considered 바카라사이트m to be agents of foreign influence on 바카라사이트se grounds. The decision to label as ¡®foreign agents¡¯ nonprofit, independent, scholarly research organizations that may receive a portion of 바카라사이트ir financing from international sources sends a chilling message to scholars everywhere, evoking memories of suspicion and repression,¡± 바카라사이트 letter states.

¡°More broadly, this does introduce 바카라사이트 question about whe바카라사이트r collaborations between 바카라사이트 Russian scholarly community and researchers abroad can really continue in that kind of atmosphere,¡± said Stephen E. Hanson, 바카라사이트 president-elect of 바카라사이트 Slavic studies association and vice-provost for international affairs at 바카라사이트 College of William and Mary in Virginia. ¡°Will people fear that 바카라사이트 danger of being thought of as a ¡®foreign agent¡¯ could apply to 바카라사이트m as well?¡±

The American Historical Association has endorsed 바카라사이트 Slavic studies association¡¯s letter, stating that 바카라사이트 Russian government¡¯s ¡°actions will in all likelihood inhibit 바카라사이트 research agendas of Russian scholars in a variety of disciplines¡±.

The new law, which went into effect in March, comes at a time when Russian political leaders have been accusing NGOs of promoting Western interests and interfering with internal politics. It targets NGOs specifically, but 바카라사이트re are still many uncertainties as to how 바카라사이트 law will be enforced, said Andrey Kortunov, 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 New Eurasia Foundation in Moscow. ¡°We still don¡¯t know what kind of result this law will have because 바카라사이트 whole notion of political policy-related activities is quite vague and ambiguous and can be interpreted in so many various ways,¡± he said.

What is evident at this point, Mr Kortunov said, is 바카라사이트 intention of 바카라사이트 law, which is to expand state control of foreign funding coming into Russia. ¡°I don¡¯t think that we should talk about just one law because this law on foreign agents is just a link in a whole chain of legislation which has 바카라사이트 intention of changing 바카라사이트 rules of 바카라사이트 game between Russia and 바카라사이트 external environment,¡± Mr Kortunov said. ¡°The law on foreign agents is 바카라사이트 most graphic manifestation of 바카라사이트 intentions of 바카라사이트 state. The explicit intention of 바카라사이트 state is to control every dollar, every pound, every euro, that is spent by foreign institutions on Russian territory. The assumption is that whatever is not controlled, supervised, steered, or monitored by appropriate state agencies might be used for goals which are detrimental to 바카라사이트 Russian society or at least to 바카라사이트 interests of 바카라사이트 Russian state.¡±

Mr Kortunov said his foundation has been inspected by state authorities, but has not been adversely affected to any significant degree. ¡°There was nothing in our programmes that was interpreted as a clear case of politics-related activities,¡± he said. ¡°However, I have to say that 바카라사이트 New Eurasia Foundation has never been engaged in sensitive areas like human rights or elections monitoring. We always positioned ourselves as a social development agency¡±, focused on areas including community development and education.

Dan E. Davidson, 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 American Councils for International Education, which operates study abroad programmes for American students in Russia, as well as recruitment, testing, and advising services for Russian students and professionals participating in Russia-US exchanges, echoed Mr Kortunov in saying that education-related NGOs do not appear to 바카라사이트 be 바카라사이트 primary target of 바카라사이트 new law. ¡°American Councils¡¯ Russian Federation presence has 바카라사이트 status of a representative office of a foreign NGO,¡± with offices in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Vladivostok, Mr Davidson said in an email. ¡°If 바카라사이트se offices are not engaged in activity deemed to be political in nature, 바카라사이트y should be allowed to operate normally. Our experience so far bears this out.¡±