AUCA/ Faculty

ICP Faculty and Staff

Viktoria Akchurina

Ph.D., Associate Professor

International and Comparative Politics Department

Division of Social Sciences

 

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Dr. Viktoria Akchurina is an Associate Professor at the International and Comparative Politics Department at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek. Her research focuses on state and society relations, water diplomacy, border conflicts, and transnational security. Dr. Akchurina is an author of a number of academic publications on state formation, power and geopolitics, border and water management, terrorism and radicalization. She co-edited a Special Section on ‘Power and Competing Regionalism in a Wider Europe’ in the Journal of Europe-Asia Studies (2018). Her book on “Incomplete State-Building in Central Asia: State as Social Practice” has been called a paradigm-shifting work by reviewers (Palgrave Macmillan 2022). 

Previously, Dr. Akchurina taught at the Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi, Dauphine University in Paris, the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, and the UNITAR executive MA programs on Diplomacy and Peace-building in Barcelona. Dr. Akchurina also provides pre-deployment training for diplomats. 

In her previous capacity as a Researcher at TRENDS Consulting in Abu-Dhabi, she published a number of policy papers on the Belt and Road Initiative in the Middle East and conducted research on Russian foreign policy in Syria, among other projects. She worked as a policy analyst and a researcher for the EXOP-Consulting in Germany, International Women’s Media Foundation in Washington D.C., and the Chair on Geopolitics of Risk at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris.  

Viktoria received her PhD in International Relations from the University of Trento (Italy) and her MA in Social Theory and Global Governance from Jacobs University Bremen (Germany). She is fluent in English, German, French, Russian, and Italian. 

  • Writer’s fellowship at the Paris Marais Conservatoire, Paris, France (2024-2025)
  • Research Fellowship at the Chair of Geopolitics of Risk, The Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS), Paris, France (2019)
  • Co-investigator on Jean-Monnet Project “Beyond Vilnius” (553329-EPP-1-2014-1-IT-EPPJMO-PROJECT), University of Trento, Italy (2016)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Sorbonne Paris-13, France (2018)
  • PhD scholarship, University of Trento, Italy (2010-2015)
  • Linneaus-Palme excellence award by the Swedish International Development Agency, Sweden (2005)
  • National award for outstanding pianists, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (1998-2000)
  • State theory, social movements, mass psychology 
  • Water diplomacy
  • Sociology of conflicts
  • Transnational security and human security 
  • Peace-building and planetary thinking 
  • Emotions in International Relations 

Editorial work:

Akchurina V. and V. Della Sala (2018). “Power and Competing Regionalism in a Wider Europe: Shared Neighbourhood, Battleground or Transit on the New Silk Road”. Europe-Asia Studies, 70(10). 

Books (sole authorship):

Akchurina, V. (2022). Incomplete State-building in Central Asia: State as Social Practice. Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-14182-9

Peer-reviewed articles:

Akchurina, V. and A.Dolidze (2023). “The Impact of Sanctions Against Russia on Central Eurasia: a New Great Game Through the Feminist Lens”. Special Issue on the Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War on Global and Gender Affairs. Journal of International Women’s Studies 25(6). 

Akchurina, V. and V. Della Sala (2018). “Russia, Europe and the Ontological Security Dilemma: Narrating the Emerging Eurasian space.” Europe-Asia Studies 70(10): 1638-1655. 

Akchurina, V. and V. Della Sala (2018). "The European Union, Russia and the Post-Soviet Space: Shared Neighbourhood, Battleground or Transit Zone on the New Silk Road?" Europe-Asia Studies 70 (10): 1543-1551. 

Akchurina, V. and A. Lavorgna (2014). “Islamist Movements in the Fergana Valley: a New Threat Assessment Approach.” Global Crime, Special Issue: Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism: Different Peas, Same Pod? 15 (3-4): 320-336. 

Peer-reviewed book chapters (resulting from international conferences and cooperation):

Akchurina, V. and V. Della Sala (2025) “Bridges Into Walls?: The EU and Border Management in Central Asia,” In Neuman, Marek and Agha Bayramov (eds.) EU Governance in Central Asia: A Sectoral Approach. Routledge.

Akchurina, V. (2021). “Kyrgyzstan and Intermingling Elites: From a State of Enlightenment to a Shadow State.” In Ferran Izquierdo-Brics and Francesc Serra-Massansalvador (eds.), Political Regimes and Neopatrimonialism in Central Asia. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan: 295-322.

Akchurina, V. (2020) “On Power of Improvisation: Why is There No Hegemon in Central Asia?” In P.Dutkiewicz, T. Casier, JA Sholte (eds.), Hegemony and World Order: Reimagining Power in Global Politics. New York: Routledge.

Akchurina, V. (2018) “Incomplete State: Re-conceptualizing State and Society Relations in Central Asia.” In: R. Isaacs and A. Frigerio (Eds.), Theorizing Central Asian Politics: The State, Ideology and Power. Palgrave Macmillan.

Akchurina, V. (2018) “Borders and Waters: Compartmentalized Security in the Eurasian Heartland.” In: Dutkiewicz, P. and R. Sakwa (Eds.), Eurasia on the Edge: Managing Complexity. Maryland: Lexington Books.

Akchurina, V. (2018) “Kyrgyzstan and Intermingling Elites: From the State of Enlightenment to the Shadow State.” In: Serra-Massansalvador, F. and F. Izquierdo-Brics (Eds.). Political Regimes in Central Asia: Sociology of Power in Today’s Central Asia. Barcelona: Edicions Bellaterra. (Spanish edition). 

Akchurina V. and A. Lavorgna (2015). “Islamist Movements in the Fergana Valley: a New Threat Assessment Approach.” In: Helena Carrapico, Daniela Irrera, and Bill Tupman (Eds.). Criminals and Terrorists in Partnership: An Unholy Alliance. Routledge. 

Akchurina, V. (2014) “Germany: Parity Numbers-wise, but Women Face a Glass Ceiling.” In Carolyn M. Byerly (Ed.). Palgrave International Handbook on Women and Journalism. NY: Palgrave Macmillan

Policy publications: 

Akchurina, V. (2019). Development and Security Perceptions Along the Belt and Road. TRENDS Research and Advisory, Abu Dhabi.

Akchurina, V. (2019). Eurasia on the Edge and Its Global Meaning: The What, Why and How of Eurasian Security, TRENDS Research and Advisory, Abu Dhabi.

Akchurina, V. (2018). Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation: Understanding Societal Consequences of Connectivity Projects. TRENDS Research and Advisory, Abu Dhabi. 

Akchurina, V. (2018). UAE Energy Diplomacy and Sustainable Global Development. TRENDS Research and Advisory, Abu Dhabi. 

Akchurina, V. (2018). Mapping the Belt and Road Initiative: Geography and Architecture, TRENDS Research and Advisory, Abu Dhabi. 

  • ICP-110.1 - Intro to International Relations 
  • ICP-318.2 -  Foreign Policy Analysis  
  • ICP-309.1 -  Development Aid and Politics, GHEA21 online course