John Beyer

Biography

John Beyer is an Academic Visitor in the European Studies Centre. His area of interest is the influence of the EU in post-soviet countries, in particular Moldova. He was UK Ambassador to Moldova 2006-9. He undertook field research in Moldova (including Transnistria) on popular attitudes to conflict resolution in Moldova on behalf of the NGO Saferworld and the European Commission. This resulted in a paper of recommendations for EU actions in Moldova (and Transnistria), Routes across the Nistru, 2011 which has influenced EU policy there. He has co-authored a paper on external influences on Moldova with Professor Stefan Wolff (University of Birmingham) Linkage and Leverage Effects on Moldova’s Transnistrian Problem, to be published in East European Politics in 2015. The paper develops the thesis expounded by Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way on the effects of external linkage and leverage of the West on a post-soviet state which has a “frozen conflict”. It examines also the effects of internal problems such as corruption. John has organised a number of seminars in the College to bring together Oxford academics, commentators and practitioners from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the EU External Action Service on international relations issues in the Eastern Partnership countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan). As a panellist at the SEESOX seminar   “Romania's new German president: where do we go from here?" in January 2015, John presented the case for Romania to act with restraint on the idea of merging Romania and Moldova, since statements on merger unwittingly offer support to the pro-Russian separatist cause in Transnistria. John is also Tutor on the Foundations of Diplomacy pre-masters course in the Department of Continuing Education, University of Oxford (and contributes to the Foreign Service Programme). The course brings together students from around the world (in 2014-5 there are 16 students from 14 countries) to study the theory and practice of diplomacy.  John Beyer is an Academic Visitor in the European Studies Centre. His area of interest is the influence of the EU in post-soviet countries, in particular Moldova. He was UK Ambassador to Moldova 2006-9. He undertook field research in Moldova (including Transnistria) on popular attitudes to conflict resolution in Moldova on behalf of the NGO Saferworld and the European Commission. This resulted in a paper of recommendations for EU actions in Moldova (and Transnistria), Routes across the Nistru, 2011 which has influenced EU policy there. He has co-authored a paper on external influences on Moldova with Professor Stefan Wolff (University of Birmingham) Linkage and Leverage Effects on Moldova’s Transnistrian Problem, to be published in East European Politics in 2015. The paper develops the thesis expounded by Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way on the effects of external linkage and leverage of the West on a post-soviet state which has a “frozen conflict”. It examines also the effects of internal problems such as corruption. John has organised a number of seminars in the College to bring together Oxford academics, commentators and practitioners from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the EU External Action Service on international relations issues in the Eastern Partnership countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan). As a panellist at the SEESOX seminar   “Romania's new German president: where do we go from here?" in January 2015, John presented the case for Romania to act with restraint on the idea of merging Romania and Moldova, since statements on merger unwittingly offer support to the pro-Russian separatist cause in Transnistria. John is also Tutor on the Foundations of Diplomacy pre-masters course in the Department of Continuing Education, University of Oxford (and contributes to the Foreign Service Programme). The course brings together students from around the world (in 2014-5 there are 16 students from 14 countries) to study the theory and practice of diplomacy. 

Research Interest

His area of interest is the influence of the EU in post-soviet countries, in particular Moldova.