Areas of expertise: European security, strategic competition in Eastern Europe, EU foreign and security policy, foreign and security policies of the Baltic states and FinlandLanguages: English, Finnish, Estonian; passive skills: Swedish, German, French, Russian
Dr Kristi Raik is the Director of ICDS from 1 January 2025. She is also an Adjunct Professor of International Relations at the University of Turku. She has previously served as the Deputy Director of ICDS, Director of the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the ICDS, Senior Research Fellow at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and official at the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union. Her main areas of expertise are European security, strategic competition in Eastern Europe, EU foreign and security policy, and foreign and security policies of the Baltic states and Finland. She has published in high-ranking academic journals (e.g. Geopolitics, European Security, Cooperation and Conflict) and media outlets (incl. Foreign Policy). She is a frequent commentator in the international media and has provided expert contributions to the Estonian, Finnish, EU and NATO institutions. Kristi has a PhD from the University of Turku.
Positions of responsibility:
- Member of the Board, Trans European Policy Studies Association
- Council Member, European Council on Foreign Relations
- Member of the Advisory Council, German Council on Foreign Relations
- Member of the Academic Advisory Board, Institut für Europäische Politik
Latest publications:
- (with Merili Arjakas) Grasping the opportunity for small state leadership: Estonia’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The British Journal of Politics and International Relations.
- History Shows Giving Land to Russia Won’t Bring Peace in Ukraine (foreignpolicy.com), 31 August 2024.
- EU Policy towards Ukraine: Entering Geopolitical Competition over European Order, The International Spectator, 59:1, January 2024.
- Ukraine War End Game: There Can Be No European Security Order With Russia (foreignpolicy.com), Foreign Policy, October 2023.
- (with Eero Kristjan Sild) Europe’s Broken Order and the Prospect of a New Cold War – ICDS, Report, October 2023.