Laboratory of International Trends Analysis

The MGIMO Laboratory of International Trends Analysis (LITRA) was established in 2018 to study the impact of new technologies on international relations and foreign policy. The purpose of the Laboratory is to obtain new fundamental results in forecasting national security threats arising from the key international challenges of the 21st century — the potential for increased conflict internationally, deepening regional instability, and shifting scientific and technological paradigms. The key research project of the Laboratory — «Transformation of International System and the Next Innovation Wave» —is supported by the grant of the Russian Government.

The Laboratory addresses a number of crucial research issues:

  • Long-term forecasting in the development of international relations;
  • The impact of new challenges and threats on international security;
  • International competitiveness of modern states in the new technological environment;
  • The prospects of global strategic stability with the spread of new defense technologies.

The Laboratory research method integrates fundamental and applied approaches aimed at strengthening the global competitiveness of the Russian School of International Relations while increasing the hands-on significance of its practices for government and business structures.

The Laboratory team involves highly qualified Russian and international experts with significant experience in academic research and applied political analysis. The Director of the Laboratory is Andrey Sushentsov, an Associate Professor at the Department of Applied International Analysis at MGIMO University.

Dr. William Wohlforth, Professor in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College, executes LITRA’s scientific leadership. Professor Wohlforth is one of the leading theorists of modern international relations and a founder of neoclassical realism.

Director, Senior Research Fellow

Nikolay Silaev Nikolay Silaev

Ph.D. in History


Contacts

+7 495 225-33-13
imi@inno.mgimo.ru