Anatoly Torkunov


Anatoly Vasilyevich Torkunov is a Soviet and Russian diplomat and international relations scholar.
The rector of Moscow's State Institute of International Relations, Anatoly Torkunov is a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Collegium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. He is the President of MGIMO Endowment Fund.
He serves as chairman of the United Nations Association of Russia. Since 2017 he a co-president of the Trianon Dialogue, Russian-French civil societies forum.
Anatoly Torkunov is a distinguished Russian Orientalist, expert on international relations, regional subsystems in Asia-Pacific Region and North-Eastern Asia, modern history of Korea, diplomatic history and practice. His research interests are: historical and political factors of foreign policy-making; international conflicts; regional studies.

Biography

Anatoly Torkunov was born on 26 August 1950.
After graduation from MGIMO University in 1972, Anatoly Torkunov began teaching at the institute, while carrying out post-graduate research related to Africa and Asia. He was awarded the degree of candidate of sciences in history for a PhD thesis on the installation and consolidation of bureaucratic military rule in South Korea in 1977. His administrative career included working on positions of the rector's assistant, dean of the international office, vice-rector for international cooperation. He was in diplomatic service in Pyongyang and Washington.
Upon returning to the Soviet Union he resumed his work at MGIMO, where he was elected dean of the School of international relations, then promoted to the position of the first vice-rector. In 1991 he was granted the title of professor. In 1992 Anatoly Torkunov was elected as rector of MGIMO. In 1993 he was awarded the rank of Ambassador, in 1995 he received the degree of doctor of political sciences.
In 1999 A. Torkunov was elected president of the Russian International Studies Association.
Elected corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2003, he became a full member of the Academy in 2008.
Torkunov holds the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary since 1993.

Current activities

Rector of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations,
President of the United Nations Association of Russia,
President of the Russian International Studies Association,
[Chair of the Board of Channel One Russia,
Co-president of the Russian History Society,
Expert at Valdai Discussion Club,
Expert at World Policy Conference,
President of the scientific council of the Russian-Polish centre for dialogue and cooperation,
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Russian International Affairs Council,
Member of the Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Academic Council at Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Foundation,
Co-chairman of the Committee on difficult issues in the history of Russian-Japanese relations,
Member of the Supervisory Board of the Swiss Academy for International Law
Member of the Board of Directors of the Rosoboronexport State Corporation,
Honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts.
A. Torkunov was co-chair of the Russian-Polish Group for Difficult Issues together with Poland's former Foreign Minister Adam Daniel Rotfeld
He is a co-president of the Trianon Dialogue civil society forum.
He is also foreign member of Polish Academy of Sciences, honorary citizen of Seoul, honorary doctor of a number of universities.

Research

Anatoly Torkunov is the author of more than 150 research papers, including 9 individual monographs. Several of them were published in the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and other countries. Among them are «Mysterious War: Korean Conflict of 1950–1953», «The War of Korea: Its Origin, Bloodshed and Conclusion». His works made great contribution to historical analysis and Korean studies, research of international relations in Asia-Pacific Region in 1950s and later. He wrote a path breaking in contents and conclusions «History of Korea». In his works Prof. Torkunov developed new conceptual approaches to the settlement of Korean peninsula conflict.
Anatoly Torkunov is co-author and editor of monographs, dedicated to theoretical and methodological issues of international studies, co-author and editor of the first Russian textbook on «Diplomatic Service» and the second volume of «History of Russian MFA». He also chairs an international research project «Gorchakov’s Readings», which is focused on studying diplomatic history and practice. He is the co-editor of a two volumes of "History of International Relations and Russian Foreign Policy in the 20th Century" published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing in 2020.
Anatoly Torkunov participates in several international research projects and is a member of editorial boards of a number of Russian and international academic journals.

Honours and awards

Anatoly Torkunov
The works and services of prof. Torkunov are widely recognized. He has received state awards of Russia, France, Poland, Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan. Distinguished Scholar Award, International Studies Association, 2018.