Perceptions of Russia in the global world: Does Russian education policy work?

Interaction and long-term strategies are essential in today’s globalized world, yet both Russia’s foreign policy and its relations with its Western partners are deteriorating. The Russian government frequently sends out controversial messages: from sovereignty, its own agenda, and “a turn to the East,” to coherent integration with the global, or Western, agenda. This is especially true when it comes to education. Russians are highly educated; thus, education is automatically perceived as a soft power tool. However, in reality, major obstacles can emerge. The paper analyzes perceptions and attitudes of foreign students towards Russia: its image, political system, and role in the contemporary world. A survey conducted in 2017 (online and offline, half-closed anonymous questionnaire N100) involved foreign students, some of whom studied at Russian higher education institutions and some who did not. The students were asked about how they perceived Russia’s role in the modern world, its soft power resources, political regime, and values. The research revealed a clear difference in the perception of those factors. It also showed that educational migration sometimes provides unexpected results that can contradict the aims of Russian education policy. © 2019, Foreign Policy Research Foundation. All rights reserved.