Political science is a rather specific science, which requires a person who wants to succeed in it, not only a certain amount of knowledge, but also the ability to analyze and clearly place accents, because the most prominent political scientists can directly or indirectly influence world processes. It is to such personalities that Sergey Karaganov belongs. The biography of this person will be interesting not only to people who have devoted themselves to the study of political processes in society, but also simply who have an inquisitive mind. Let's find out the details of the professional activity and personal life of Sergei Karaganov.
Youth
Sergei Alexandrovich Karaganov was born on September 12, 1952 in Moscow. His father, Alexander Karaganov, was a very famous film critic and literary critic, which in the future had a significant impact on the professional development of his son. Mother, Sofia Grigoryevna, the first marriage was married to the famous Soviet poet Evgeny Aronovich Dolmatovsky, but after they separated.
The nationality of Sergei Karaganov causes a lot of controversy. He calls himself Russian, but the peculiarities of the surname indicate that, most likely, among his ancestors were Tatars.
After graduation, Sergei Karaganov entered the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University, which in 1974 he successfully graduated with a degree in Political Economy.
The beginning of a professional career
Immediately after completing his studies at the university, Sergei Alexandrovich began an internship at the USSR mission to the UN, which lasted until 1977 inclusively, being at the headquarters of this organization in New York. The following year, he returned to Moscow and began working as a research fellow at the Institute of the USA and Canada. In 1979, Sergey Karaganov defended his thesis. Meanwhile, at the Institute he was promoted to a senior research fellow, and then head of the sector.
In 1988, Sergei Alexandrovich moved to a new place of work - the Institute of Europe of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The very next year he became deputy director of this scientific institution. At the same time, a doctoral dissertation was defended.
From the beginning of his professional activity, the main issue that Sergey Karaganov was engaged in was the relationship between the USSR and then the Russian Federation with the countries of the Western world. This topic is devoted to his candidate and doctoral dissertations, the majority of numerous lectures and scientific works.
Work in government
Of course, the huge layer of work that Sergey Alexandrovich did to identify patterns and nuances of relations with the United States and Western European countries could not help but interest our government. Indeed, Sergey Karaganov, in fact, possessed invaluable experience and knowledge in this matter.
In 1989, he became an expert on the International Affairs Committee of the Supreme Council, and since 1991, he has been admitted to the Foreign Policy Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1993, Karaganov became a member of the Presidential Council, of which he remained a member until Boris Yeltsin’s resignation. In addition, he is a member of the Councils of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and the Chairman of the Federation Council. In 2001, he also became an adviser to the Deputy Governor of the Administration of the President of Russia and remained in this position until 2013.
Activities in SWAP
One of the most important posts that he has held since 1994 is his presidency of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy. This is a non-governmental organization, founded in 1992, but at the same time, many experts note its significant influence on the policy of the Russian Federation and on world processes in general. She works closely with various government bodies and international organizations. Under the auspices of the Council, a number of major programs have been launched. SWAP members are well-known politicians, political scientists, entrepreneurs, public figures. The main priority of the organization is the protection of national interests and democratic values.
At the moment, Sergey Alexandrovich is assigned the title of Honorary Chairman of the Presidium of this respected organization.
Some experts in connection with his activities in the swap call Sergey Karaganov a member of the “shadow big eight”, which includes leading political scientists of the most developed countries of the world, who can have a significant influence on the politics of their powers.
Scientific activity
At the same time, Karaganov did not stop pursuing professional activities: he worked in various scientific and educational institutions, wrote works on political science, taught, lectured both in Russia and abroad.
Since 1991, he was assigned the honorary department of the University of Groningen (Netherlands). In 2002, he became head. Department of World Politics, State University - Higher School of Economics, and since 2006 - Dean of the Faculty of World Economy and Politics.
Scientific works
Political scientist Sergey Karaganov is the author of numerous scientific works that are highly appreciated by experts around the world. These include: “Russia: the state of reform” (1993), “The economic role of Russia in Europe” (1995) and many others. In most of them, he touches on Russia's relations with Western countries, as well as issues of choosing the economic and political path for his country in post-Soviet conditions.
In each of his work, Sergei Alexandrovich tried to analytically approach the issue, take into account not only individual factors, but consider the problem in a comprehensive manner.
Political position
Throughout political activity, the views of Sergei Karaganov were patriotic, but without reassessing the real possibilities of Russia, thus characterizing him as a thoughtful statesman.
In the early nineties, he stood on the position of strengthening Russian influence in the post-Soviet space, which was supposed to be carried out through the support of the Russian-speaking population of the former Soviet republics. According to Karaganov, Russia should develop in its own way, without copying to the smallest detail the economic and political schemes of other states. However, he was not a supporter of the so-called Eurasian or Asian development model.
Karaganov believes that the Russian Federation has no other options than the orientation of its economy and politics towards Europe. The Asian development path, in his opinion, is not for Russia, but for states such as China, Korea and the countries of Indochina. He is a consistent supporter of the democratization of society. At the same time, according to Sergey Alexandrovich, integration processes in the European region should in no case be carried out due to the independence, political and economic interests of the country.
A family
Now it is time to talk about what Sergey Karaganov has achieved in family affairs. Personal life is not widely advertised to them. Yes, this is not surprising for modern Russian politicians, because the public position of a person can endanger the family. Therefore, at the moment, we have a fairly limited number of sources that tell about the private life of Sergei Alexandrovich.
Nevertheless, some information about the family on his personal website is reported by Sergey Karaganov himself. The wife of a famous political scientist, Ekaterina Igorevna, is much younger than her husband. It belongs to the famous noble family of Miloslavsky. After the wedding, she did not give up her maiden name and took a double - Karaganova-Miloslavskaya. In addition, it is known from open sources that she is one of the founders of World House Group LLC.
The couple quite rarely goes out together, as, for example, was at the celebration of the biennium of the Kommersant FM radio station. But even in these rare moments, others could not help but notice that there are rather warm relations between the spouses.
In the marriage, the daughter of Alexandra Sergeevna was born.
