Rebuilt Empire or New Collapse? Geopolitical Visions of Russian Students
Journal: Europe Asia Studies
Year: 2017

This essay presents findings from 136 in-depth interviews conducted amongst students at three leading Russian universities. Qualitative analysis revealed a three-way divide in how the students imagined Russia’s future. The largest group is optimistic about Russia, seeing it as a global power. A second, smaller group expects Russia to decline in the coming years, while the third group is undecided and unwilling to make forecasts. The essay considers the arguments of the ‘optimists’ and ‘pessimist