The Harriman Institute at Columbia University

08/31/2026

How have Russian, Ukrainian, and Western information operations evolved over the course of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine? Our faculty member Thomas Kent answers this question in, "The Propaganda Manual of the Ukraine War," a monograph published by the American Foreign Policy Council

Thomas Kent has published a new monograph with the American Foreign Policy Council titled The Propaganda Manual of the Ukraine War. The book seeks to capture the development of Russian, Ukrainian, and Western information operations in the course of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kent des

08/28/2026

Congrats to our faculty member Yuri Shevchuk, who published, "Say It in Ukrainian: A Practical Course in Ukrainian Phonetics," with Hippocrene Books. It was created to address the longstanding lack of effective textbook material on phonetics for English-speaking learners of Ukrainian. The textbook promises to be a critical resource for students striving to speak in the contemporary phonetic paradigm actually in use by Ukrainian-speakers across the globe today.

Yuri Shevchuk (Senior Lecturer in Ukrainian) has published his latest textbook, Say It in Ukrainian: A Practical Course in Ukrainian Phonetics, through Hippocrene Books. Say It in Ukrainian was created to address the longstanding lack of effective textbook material on phonetics for English-speaking

08/21/2026

Director Valentina Izmirlieva was interviewed by Euronews Bulgaria, where she discussed the Harriman Institute’s role as a leading center for the study of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia, the impact of the war in Ukraine on academic research, and her latest book project on Orthodox pilgrimage in the Ottoman Balkans

In an interview with euronews.Bulgaria, Valentina Izmirlieva (Director, Harriman Institute; Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures) discusses the Harriman Institute’s role as a leading center for the study of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia, the impact of the war in Ukraine on academic ...

08/20/2026

Kimberly Marten spoke at a House Intelligence Committee roundtable about emerging Russian gray zone attacks against the West

Kimberly Marten spoke at a House Intelligence Committee roundtable about emerging Russian gray zone attacks against the West. She discussed Russia's hiring of ordinary people as contractors, some of whom are not aware they are working for Russia, to carry out various aggressive actions short of regu

08/18/2026

Alexander Cooley was interviewed by the Swiss non-profit They Said So. He discussed authoritarianism, how today’s polarized political climate influences the way political science is taught, and the state of academia more broadly.

Alexander Cooley was interviewed by the Swiss non profit organization They Said So. He discussed his international background, authoritarianism, and how today's polarized political climate is influencing the way political science is taught, as well as how the current moment is affecting academia mor

08/17/2026

Kimberly Marten appeared on the BBC to discuss Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, the defense relationship between North Korea and Russia, and the release of Robert Gilman.

Kimberly Marten appeared on the BBC to discuss Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, the defense relationship between North Korea and Russia, and the release of Robert Gilman. The video below will be available until September 10, 2026. https://harriman.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/BBC_

08/03/2026

Please join us in welcoming Mathias Fuelling István Deák Lecturer in the Discipline of History, to the Harriman Institute. Fuelling is an economic historian specializing in the history of socialist economic planning and the nation-state in modern Europe. Read our spotlight interview:

Mathias Fuelling, István Deák Lecturer in the Discipline of History, is an historian of economic planning, socialism, and the nation-state in modern Europe. He received his Ph.D. in History from Temple University in the autumn of 2025. His dissertation, The Forgotten Plan: The Czechoslovak Two Yea...

07/24/2026

Congratulations to Aziza Shanazarova for being named one of the Faculty Visitors at the Institute for Ideas and Imagination! She will be conducting archival research at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris.

Aziza Shazarova will be a 2026-27 Faculty Visitor at the Institute for Ideas and Imagination (II&I) in Paris. She will conduct archival research at the Bibliothèque nationale de France on previously unstudied waqf deeds established by women in Islamic Central Asia from the 16th to 20th centuries

07/21/2026

We are excited to welcome Visiting Lecturer in History, Iaroslav Kovalchuk, to the Harriman Institute! Read our full spotlight interview with him in the News section on our website.

07/20/2026

Please join us in welcoming Iaroslav Kovalchuk, Lecturer in History, to the Harriman Institute for the 2026 -27 academic year! Kovalchuk is a historian and political scientist specializing in Soviet history and the borderlands of Western Ukraine.

"In school we often learn history in national terms. But there are regional histories, social histories, and other perspectives that don’t fit neatly into national categories. Once you start thinking that way, you realize your research can be relevant far beyond your own country" — Kovalchuk. Read the full Visiting Faculty Spotlight to learn about the courses he'll be offering and more

Iaroslav Kovalchuk, Lecturer in History, is a historian and political scientist specializing in Soviet history and the borderlands of Western Ukraine. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy from 2010 to 2016 and an int...