316 Woodburn Hall, P.O. Box 6317, Morgantown, WV 26506-6317

Boris Barkanov

Department of Political Science

West Virginia University

WEBSITE:

EMPLOYMENT

West Virginia University, Department of Political Science, Morgantown, WV

Visiting Assistant Professor, January 2013 – present

Harvard University, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Cambridge, MA

Postdoctoral Fellow, 2012

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Ph.D.University of California, Berkeley

Political Science. December 2011.Fields: IR, Comparative Politics, Research Methods.

Dissertation: Mercantilist Development in Russia: The Legitimacy of State Power, State Identity, and the Energy Charter Regime (1990-2010)

Committee: George Breslauer (chair), Steve Weber, and Vicky Bonnell (sociology)

Field Research: Moscow (Fall 2006, Fall 2007, November 2008- August 2009); Paris(Fall 2006); Brussels (fall 2006, winter 2008, winter 2011)

M.A. University of California, Berkeley

Political Science. June 2003

Thesis: Political Immobilization: Obstacles to Popular Collective Action in Contemporary Russia(Reviewers: George Breslauer, Henry Brady, Steven Fish)

B.A. Northwestern University

Economics and French Literature/Language. June 1996

University Distinction, Departmental Honors, and Graduation Marshall.GPA 3.81/4.00

Thesis: Nouveau Moment Ethique: les Romans de Jean Genet (Advisors: Scott Durham, Jane Winston). Study abroad in Paris, France, 1994-95. Courses at: Institut d’Etudes Politiques (“Sciences-Po”), Sorbonne, Ecole du Louvre, and Alliance française

Institute for Qualitative Research Methods

Arizona State University, January 2006

Two week seminar; included training on process tracing, concept formation, case selection, causal inference, interviewing, archival research, and discourse analysis

FOREIGN LANGUAGES Russian (fluent), French (fluent), Japanese (intermediate)

MAJORGRANTS

Fulbright Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship, U.S. Department of Education, 2008-9
Foreign Policy Studies Dissertation Research Fellowship, Institute for Global Conflict and Cooperation,UC San Diego, 2009-10
Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Doctoral Fellowship,U.S. Department of Education, 2002-3

OTHER FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

Faculty Travel Grant, West Virginia University Senate Research Committee, 2013, 2014
Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship,Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, 2006-7
Graduate Student Fellowship,Graduate Division,UC Berkeley, 2007-8
Incoming Graduate Student Fellowship,Travers Department of Political Science, UC Berkeley,2002-3
Summer Research Grant,Graduate Division,UC Berkeley, 2008
Summer Research Grant,Berkeley Program in Eurasian and East European Studies, UC Berkeley, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011
Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS)Summer Language Study Grant,U.S. Department of Education, 2003
Phi Beta Kappa,Northwestern University Chapter, 1996
Most Valuable Student Undergraduate Scholarship,National Elk's Foundation, 1992-6
Undergraduate Scholarship Award,Pullman Foundation,1992-6

PUBLICATIONS

“Ukraine Burning: Clash of Civilizations or Distribution of Power?” In Kanet, Roger E. and Sussex, Matthew, eds., Eurasia Rising? Power, Politics and Institutions in a Contested RegionNew York: Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming 2015).

Book review in The Russian Review(forthcoming January 2015): Kanet, Roger E. and Piet, Rémi, eds., Shifting Priorities in Russia’s Foreign and Security Policy.

“Identifying Revisionist Powers: the Ideological Line as State Structure in Russia and China (1991-2013)” (under review).

“How Putin’s domestic audience explains Russia’s behavior,” The Monkey Cage, Washington Post, March 13, 2014. Available at:

“The Geo-economics of Eurasian Gas: the Evolution of Russian Turkmen Relations in Natural Gas (1992-2010).” In Heinrich, Andreas and Pleines, Heiko, eds., Export Pipelines from the CIS region: Geopolitics, Securitization and Political Decision-makingChanging Europe book series, vol. 10 (Stuttgart : Ibidem Publishers, 2014).

“Russia (social media, unrest),” Encyclopedia of Social Media and Politics,Sage Reference Publications, January 2014.

Book review in The Russian Review72, 3, June 2013, pp.542-3: Freire, Maria Raquel and Kanet, Roger E., eds., Russia and its Near Neighbours. Available at:

“The Endurance of Putinism: Ideas, the Tandem, and Political Stability in Russia,” Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies Newsletter,UC Berkeley, Spring, 2012, pp. 3-7. Available at:

“Institutionalism,” Encyclopedia of Governance, Sage Reference Publications, 2007. Available at: Used as a template for entries in The Barents Encyclopedia Project. Available at:

“International Politics and Bilateral Relations between the United States and Russia: A Window of Opportunity?” AllEurope.ru, Russian European College, MGIMO, 3(31), March, 2009.

“Central Asia: Window into Cultural Crossroads,” with R. Spector,Caucasus and Central Asia Newsletter, no. 5, Caucasus and Central Asia Program, UC Berkeley, Winter 2004.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Revisionist or Status quo? Power, State Structure, and Identity in Russia, China, and Germany (expected 2015; meetings with Cambridge and Princeton University presses at ISA 2014)

Mercantilism and Security: Russia, Europe, and the Energy Charter (expected 2016; meeting with Ashgate Publishing Ltd. at publisher’s initiative, APSA 2014; pursuing discussions with Rowman and Littlefield)

“Ukraine Burning: A Response to John Mearsheimer,” article for Foreign Affairs or Monkey Cage(expected fall 2014)

“From Orbit to Center of Gravity: Russia, the EU, and the Ukrainian Crisis,”article for International Studies Quarterly (expected spring 2015)

“Is Russia a normal country? Yes and No,” article for Post-Soviet Affairs (builds on APSA 2014 presentation; expected 2015 or 2016)

“Too Many Cooks or Top Chef? Authority, regime type, and international cooperation,” article for Journal of Conflict Resolution (builds on published book chapter, “The Geo-economics of Eurasian Gas” ;expected 2016)

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Visiting Assistant Professor, West Virginia University

The State in World Politics, Fall 2013, 2014 (graduate seminar)
Comparative Politics of Energy Spring 2015 (graduate seminar)
Russian Politics, Spring 2014, 2015
Introduction to International Relations, 2013, 2014, 2015
International Political Economy, Spring 2013

Instructor,University of California, Berkeley Extension, Fall Program for Freshmen

Introduction to Comparative Politics, Fall 2011 (lecture and discussion sections)

Lecturer, Department of International Relations, San Francisco State University

Introduction to International Political Economy, Fall 2010, Spring 2011
Introduction to World Affairs, Fall 2009, Spring, Fall 2011

Graduate Student Instructor, Political Science Department, University of California, Berkeley

Introduction to Comparative Politics, Professor Andrew Janos, Summer 2006
International Political Economy, Professor Vinod Aggarwal, Fall 2004
Introduction to International Relations, Instructor Vanna Gonzalez, Summer 2004, 2005
Russian Politics, Professor Steven Fish, Spring 2004, 2005, 2006
Nationality Politics in the USSR and Successor States, Professor Ned Walker, Fall 2003

PRESENTATIONS

“From Orbit to Center of Gravity: Ukraine, Russia, and the Eurasian Union,” International Studies Association Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, March 2015

“From Orbit to Center of Gravity: Russian Energy Policy and the Ukrainian Crisis,”Russia 2014(University of Pittsburg and Carnegie Mellon professional student mini-course), October, 2014.

“Ukraine Burning: Crisis in Europe,” West Virginia University Forum, September 24, 2014

“Identifying Revisionist Powers: the Ideological Line as State Structure in Russia and China (1991-2013),”2014 APSA National Meeting, Washington, DC,August 2014 (organized)

“Is Russia a Normal Country? Response to Treisman and Rosefielde,” 2014 APSA National Meeting, Washington, DC, August 2014

“Political Revolution in Ukraine: Clash of Civilizations or Distribution of Power?” International Studies Association Annual Convention, Toronto, CA, March 2014

"Identifying Revisionist Powers: Russia and China in Comparative Perspective,” 2013 APSA National Meeting, Chicago, IL, September 2013 (organized with George Soroka, Harvard)

“Monopoly or Cartel? Russian Turkmen Natural Gas Relations and the Conditions of Trade (1992-2010),” Changing Europe Summer School, Almaty, Kazakhstan,August 2013

“Power, interest, and control of energy on the Black Sea: the political economy of South Stream,” Security on the Black Sea Workshop, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA May 1-3, 2013

“Monopoly or Cartel? Russian Turkmen Natural Gas Relations (1992-2010),” Association for the Study of Nationalities World Convention, Columbia University, April 18-20, 2013

“Monopoly or Cartel? Russian Turkmen Natural Gas Relations,” 2013 Midwest Slavic Conference, Ohio State University, April 5-7, 2013

“Geopolitics of Black Sea Energy Security in a Changing Global Order: South Stream vs. Nabucco,” 5th Black Sea International Symposium, Giresun University, Giresun, Turkey, December 6, 2012

"Varieties of Statehood: Transformations in Russian Foreign Energy Policy,” Post-Communist Working Group, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University, December 3, 2012

“Varieties of Statehood: Russia’s Transformation and the Energy Charter Regime (1991-2010),” ASEEES Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, November 15, 2012

“Understanding Energy Security on the Black Sea: Russian Hard and Soft Power and South Stream,” Security, Democracy and Development in the Southern Caucasus and the Black Sea Region Conference, Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey, October 11-13, 2012

“The Origins of Unitary Actorhood and Grand Strategy Coherence: Russian Energy Charter Regime Policy (1991-2010)” for the panel “State Development, Representation, and Grand Strategy in the Great Powers,” (organized with Rosie Hsueh, Temple University), 2012 APSA National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, August 2012

“Russian Revolution (1917) and the Arab Spring,” Department of Political Science,Santa Clara University, May 17, 2012

“Russian Revolution (1917) and the Arab Spring,” Program in Eurasian and East European Studies, UC Berkeley, May 15, 2012

“State Authority and International Economic Cooperation: Russia's Natural Gas Relations with Turkmenistan,” Department of Political Science,West Virginia University, May 8, 2012

“State Authority and International Economic Cooperation: Russia's Natural Gas Relations with Turkmenistan,” Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies,Harvard University, May 3, 2012

“Energy Cooperation in Eurasia: Russia's Natural Gas Relations with Turkmenistan,” Department of Political Science,Brown University, April 4, 2012

“Energy Cooperation in Eurasia: Russia's Natural Gas Relations with Turkmenistan,” Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies,Harvard University, April 3, 2012

“A Tale of Two Exporters: Russia vs. Norway, State Images, and the Origins of the Energy Charter Treaty,” International Studies Association National Conference, Montreal, Canada, March 2011

“Revolutionary State Building: Neo-liberal Images of the State and the Origins of Russian Energy Charter Policy,”Graduate Organization for the Study of Europe and Central Asia,University of Pittsburgh, February 2011

“Revolutionary State Building: Euphoria, Images of the State, and the Origins of Russian Energy Charter Policy,” Comparative Politics Colloquium,UC Berkeley, December 2010

“State Identity Transformation and Mercantilist Development: Russia’s Resurgence and the Eurasian Gas Market,” Association for the Study of Nationalities World Conference, Columbia University, April 2010

“Mercantilist Development: Sovereignty over Gas Markets and the Transformation of Russian State Identity,” Midwest Political Science Association,Chicago, IL, April 2010

“State Identity and Sovereignty: Transformations in Russian Energy Policy,” (Chapter from dissertation)International Relations Colloquium,UC Berkeley, March 12, 2010

“State Identity and Sovereignty: Transformations in Russian Energy Charter Treaty Policy,”Comparative Politics Colloquium,UC Berkeley, February 19, 2010

“Saving the Gold Mine: Gazprom, the Energy Charter Treaty, and Transformations in Russian Policy Thought (1997-2001),” Midwest Political Science Association,Chicago, IL, April 2009

“Saving the Gold Mine: Gazprom, the Energy Charter Treaty, and Transformations in Russian Policy Thought (1997-2001),” Poster presentation,American Political Science Association,Boston, MA, August 2008

“Constructing the National Interest: Transformations in Russian Policy Thought and the Energy Charter Treaty,” Political Science Graduate Student Conference, UC Berkeley, April 2008

“Constructing the National Interest: Transformations in Russian Energy Charter Treaty Policy,” International Studies Association National Conference, San Francisco, CA, March 2008

“Constructing the National Interest: The Energy Charter Treaty and Russian Energy Policy,” Political Science Graduate Student Conference, UC Berkeley, May 2007

“From New Thinking to Eurasianism: Cultural Realism, Gramsci, and the Transformation of Ideas about Energy Politics in Post-Soviet Russia,” Institute for Qualitative Research Methods, Arizona State University, January 2006

“The End of Ideology and the Soviet Intelligentsia in the 1940s,” Political Science Graduate Student Conference, UC Berkeley, May 2005

“Political Immobilization: Obstacles to Popular Collective Action in Contemporary Russia,” UC Berkeley Program for Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies (BPS), UC Berkeley, March 2003

PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOPS

International Political Economy of Energy, Toronto, Canada, Spring 2014

Preparatory meeting for edited volume, organized by Dr. Kathleen Hancock, Colorado School of Mines, and Dr. Juliann Allison, UC Riverside

Changing Europe Summer School, Almaty, Kazakhstan, August 2013

Five day seminar preparing for an edited volume on export pipelines from the CIS region

SSRC-Eurasia Program Research and Policy Forum, Georgetown University, April, 2010

Three day seminar on policy related research in the area of Eurasian security

Legitimacy and Hegemony Workshop, UC Berkeley, March 2008

Developed conceptual tools for studying legitimacy and hegemony as a theoretical problem and the historical challenges associated with contemporary US hegemony

Explaining International Organization Performance Workshop, San Francisco, CA, March 2008

Developed theoretical apparatus and methodology to study the performance of IOs

PROFESSIONAL AND SERVICE ACTIVITIES

West Virginia University, Qualifying Exam Committee, comparative politics, Spring 2013, 2014
Harvard University, Davis Center Master’s Thesis Examination Committee, Spring 2013
Association for the Study of Nationalities, Chair, Identity and State Formation in Eurasia and the Arab World, April 2012
Harvard University, Davis Center Working Group on Energy (founder), March 2012
Harvard University, Davis Center Graduate Summer Research Travel Grant Committee, March 2012
Association for the Study of Nationalities, Discussant, East Europe Foreign Policy Panel, April 2012
American Political Science Association, Member, 2008 to present
International Studies Association, Member, 2008 to present

RESEARCH AND OTHER EMPLOYMENT

Research Consultant, Global Business Network, Monitor Group,San Francisco, CA,2005

Analysis of cultural/ideological drivers of contemporary Russian politics for government agency.

Management Consultant, ZS Associates,Evanston, IL,1999-2002

Research including content analysis, executive interviews, and statistical modeling.Administered large meetings with executive level managers.

English Language Teacher, JET Program, Kyoto, Japan, Fall 1996 – Spring 1998

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Al-Akhbar newspaper (Beirut, Lebanon), interview for article: ما الذي جمع الدبّ الروسي بالتنين الصيني؟ (What do you get when Russian Bear and Chinese Dragon Come Together?), Laure Alkhoury, October 18, 2014, available at:

Sanlian Lifeweek Magazine (Beijing, China), interview for article: 巴以矛盾一再深化(Russo-Ukrainian “Gas War” Returns), Zou Shan, June 16, 2014

WVU Today, interview for article: “WVU political scientist concerned about crisis in Ukraine,” March 6, 2014Available at:

The Daily Athenaeum, quotes from panel discussion in article: “Panel talks crisis in Ukraine,” March 20, 2014, Available at:

West Virginia Public Broadcasting, interview for radio news segment: “WVU Professor Talks Russia/Ukraine Conflict,” March 13, 2014 Available at:

World Affairs Council Presentation on Russia-EU relations, Walnut Creek, CA October, 2010

World Affairs Council Presentation on Russian foreign policy toward former Soviet states, Walnut Creek, CA March, 2010

RELATED COURSE WORK AT UC BERKELEY

Political economy of development, Kiren Chaudhry, political science department
Politics of Eastern Europe, Andrew Janos, political science department
Islam in Central Asia, Vitaly Naumkin, political science department
Russia in the 20th Century, Victoria Bonnell, sociology department
Russian history, Yuri Slezkine, history department
Russian history, Reginald Zelnick, history department

Political theory, Paul Thomas, political science department

Political theory, Wendy Brown, political science department
Social theory, Michael Burawoy, sociology department

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