Securitization Narrative in the West and its Restrictive Impact on Research on Russia and China

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the rise of China have catalyzed a powerful "securitization" narrative in the West, which has, in turn, influenced academic freedom and intellectual discourse, especially in subjects concerning Russia and China studies, security (policy) studies, and international relations. The narrowing of academic freedom is partly driven by political, public and diplomatic pressure on universities to align with government stances against Russia and China. This overwhelming securitization environment can and has not only stifled research critical of Western strategies (incl NATO's role) in the region but has forbidden working together with Russian academics and limited academic collaboration with China. Consequently, we are losing insights into the trajectories of Russian and Chinese societies. We in the academic community face a paradox: while universities should do critical work on our own societies and policies and advocate for freedom of speech and critique authoritarianism abroad, we are facing a new normative environment where open domestic discourse are threatened to be silenced under the pressure of securitization discourse.