Origins of IR in the USSR/Russia: The Legacy of Ivan G. Tyulin

This article examines the contributions of Ivan G. Tyulin as a key organizer of scientific research at MGIMO, focusing on theoretical and methodological issues in international relations (IR), as well as his studies on French political thought and the development of IR as a discipline in the Soviet Union and later in Russia. The study highlights the initially limited attention to theoretical inquiries in the USSR and the subsequent recognition of the necessity to develop theoretical knowledge, a shift facilitated by research conducted at the institutes of the USSR Academy of Sciences and MGIMO. By the late 1970s and 1980s, Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials began demonstrating interest in conceptual approaches to international relations. Against this backdrop, the Problematic Scientific Research Laboratory for the System Analysis of International Relations was established at MGIMO in 1976, with Ivan G. Tyulin soon assuming its leadership. As head of this laboratory and later as MGIMO’s ViceRector for Science, Tyulin emerged as one of the most influential figures in organizing IR research in the USSR and Russia. The article identifies and analyzes five key interrelated areas in which Tyulin made significant contributions both as a scientific organizer and as a scholar: (1) system analysis in international relations and interdisciplinary research, (2) methodologies for studying international relations, (3) the development of international studies in the USSR and Russia, (4) French theoretical thought, and (5) conflicts and negotiations in international relations. The study concludes that Tyulin laid the foundation for several important directions in domestic—and, to some extent, global—international studies. In the late 1980s, he pioneered research on the systematic analysis of international relations, interdisciplinarity, research methodologies, and the study of international conflicts and negotiations using quantitative methods and modeling. Simultaneously, he remained committed to advancing applied research grounded in rigorous qualitative methodological principles. These research directions continue to evolve at MGIMO and within the broader Russian academic landscape. The conceptual and theoretical foundations of international relations and foreign policy in Russia and other states remain a crucial area for further scholarly inquiry.

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