Researcher
Kristin Fjæstad
Contactinfo and files
Summary
Kristin Fjæstad is a senior research fellow and leader of the research group on Russia, Asia and international trade.
From August 2020, Fjæstad has a post doc position in the LORAX project. In this project, she will work on questions about how and by whom the Caspian Sea is defined as a regional ecosystem.
Fjæstad holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of St Andrews (2020). The PhD traces and examines Kazakhstan’s transition from a recipient to a donor of official development assistance and discusses this process through the prism of identity-building.
Fjæstad works predominantly on global development, development and foreign policy, as well as questions of identity, foreign policy and state formation in the former Soviet Union, in particular Central Asia.
Expertise
Education
2020 PhD, International Relations, University of St Andrews
2010 Master in development studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, London
2008 Bachelor in economics, the University of Oslo
Work Experience
2020- Head of the Research group on Russia, Asia and international trade
2020- Senior Research Fellow, NUPI
2013-2020 Research Fellow, NUPI
2011 - 2013 Junior Research Fellow, NUPI
2011 Teaching and Research Fellowship, the OSSE Academy in Bishkek
2010-2011 Internship/media consultant, International Media Support (IMS), Denmark and Kyrgyzstan
2008 Intern, the Embassy of Norway in Baku
Aktivitet
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Clear all filtersFrom possible conflict to wartime cooperation: Laying the foundations of regional cooperation in the Caspian Sea (2002–2018)
This research paper uses snapshots of media coverage in the Caspian states to explore the stateled region-building efforts around the Caspian Sea from 2002–2018. Counter to the dominant conflict thesis in the literature, the findings suggest that the five states have moved towards more comprehensive political and economic cooperation. Relations have gradually been anchored in an understanding of the Caspian Sea as a shared space with multiple interlinkages and dependencies, even describing it as a “sea of peace and friendship”. This depiction is maintained by the Caspian states, also after the Sea became an arena and lifeline for Russia’s war against Ukraine after February 2022. This paper provides background and analysis of the developing regional cooperation and explores in the conclusion how this cooperation has gained new salience in Russia’s response to the sanction regime.
NUPI’s Russia Conference 2024
NUPI’s Russia conference 2024: Wartime Russia – weak or strong?
Join us on 22 October for the annual Russia conference.
Norway’s handling of knowledge relations with states outside its security cooperation
Norwegian authorities have for several years actively promoted internationalization of the knowledge sector. This includes collaboration with authoritarian countries such as China and Russia, which are not part of Norway’s security cooperation. However, in the last few years, we have seen a clear turn towards questions of national security and the status of liberal norms garnering more attention, also with consideration to knowledge relations. We observe this in sharper warnings from the security services, revised legislation and regulations and new guidelines for knowledge collaboration with countries such as China and Russia. In this article we study these changes and discuss their possible implications. Empirically, we build on survey and interview data, and we examine policy documents and media reports on relevant incidents. In terms of theory, we draw on explanations grounded in the geopolitics and securitization literature. We argue that measures that are introduced to protect national security and liberal norms may also limit the operational space for independent research and thus change the parameters for academic freedom, especially in relation to activities with connection to actors from non-allied states. To avoid unnecessarily restrictive conditions, researchers and their institutions should actively demonstrate and communicate how they work to ensure responsibility in their knowledge relations. This is especially important in situations where ethical and security-related challenges are obvious.
The Russian model of Federalism: Are Centre-Region dynamics changing in Wartime?
How has Russia’s war against Ukraine affected centre-regions relations in Russia?
Network for Research on Knowledge Relations (KNOWREL)
KNOWREL aims to facilitate research on knowledge relations through establishing a scholarly network, starting with Nordic partners, and extending it to colleagues around the world....
What Now, Russologists?
Russia’s war against Ukraine has enormous consequences. First and foremost for Ukraine, but also for Russia and its neighboring states. The war has not only changed European and Norwegian security and foreign policies, it will also have a significant impact on Norwegian research on and knowledge about Russia. The opportunities for doing research in Russia have become more limited in recent years. After February 2022, it has become impossible. At the same time, knowledge about Russia is important for Norway, which shares a border and administers critical resources in cooperation with Russia. This will continue to be the case. The question now is how this knowledge is to be created given that the framework conditions under which Norwegian research on Russia has been produced during the last 30 years have dramatically changed. How are we going to update Norwegian knowledge about Russia in the coming years? What methods and data are available, and what can we expect from these?
Utfordrende kunnskapssamarbeid: Etiske og sikkerhetsrelaterte utfordringer som forskere og kunnskapsinstitusjoner i Norge møter i internasjonale samarbeid (UTFORDRINGER)
• The project studies ethical- and security-related challenges that researchers and research institutions in Norway face and handle in their international collaborations....
Utfordrende kunnskapssamarbeid: Etiske og sikkerhetsrelaterte utfordringer som forskere og kunnskapsinstitusjoner i Norge møter i internasjonale sa...
This report presents results from a study of ethical- and security-related challenges that researchers and research institutions in Norway face and handle in their international collaborations. The report is in Norwegian only.
The Russia Conference 2022: The Russian economy, energy sector and climate change: What now?
At this year's Russia conference, we will take a closer look at the implications of the war in Ukraine for Russia's economy and energy sector.