Canadians who lived through the ups and downs of the Cold War can’t help but wonder at how the once-mighty USSR has moved from the front page of our newspapers to the back pages as just another nation.

For the most part we’ve gone from fear of imminent nuclear annihilation to blasé disregard for this winter’s natural gas war between Russia and Ukraine.

Does Russia matter any longer? Prof. Larry Black (pictured) says the nation and its people are more significant than ever, especially to Canadians.

A historian with more than 40 years of teaching experience on the subject of Russia and the USSR, Black has taught at Laurentian University, Carleton University and is now professor emeritus at Georgian’s University Partnership Centre.

Here he continues his work as director of the Centre of Research on Canadian-Russian Relations (CRCR) and teaches the occasional course to BA undergrad students. For more information about the CRCR, visit http://upc.georgianc.on.ca/research/.

Russia remains vitally important to Canadians for many reasons, he says, ticking them off on his fingers.

“We share the north, and Arctic issues are increasingly important. More than 7,000 Canadian businesses are active in Russia. Some are large companies, including Bombardier and Lavalin, and CIDA (the Canadian International Development Agency) is very active,” he said.

“Russia has more undeveloped resources than anywhere else on earth. Many Russians live in Canada, and many Canadians are from Russian or USSR backgrounds. And for the United States – what would the public think if they knew that Russians own more than 1,000 of their gas stations? Really, there is no such thing as an isolated economy any more.”

Black may be retired from full-time teaching, but the CRCR keeps him more than busy. Established in 1990 with the help of a grant from the Donner Canadian Foundation, the Centre has a mandate to study all dimensions of the relationship between Canada and Russia, past and present.

While strongly academic in focus, the Centre also has a strong “real-world” side, providing briefings and research to such agencies private firms, government and non-governmental agencies, including the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Export Development Corporation.

Researchers from other institution frequently make use of the CRCR’s extensive archives, and Black is often able to hire some Laurentian students to help out with cataloguing and other activities.

Since 1988, Black has helped to edit an annual publication, the Russian Eurasia Documents Annual, which serves as a unique source of translated documents from the Russian region. Next year’s annual will include many background documents – media reports, government documents – about this winter’s natural gas war, for instance. The books are used by academic researchers as well as such agencies as the CIA.

Black brings such specialized knowledge to life in the course he taught this past fall, “Russia in Transition”, which offers perspective on changes in Russian life and politics to BA students at the Barrie Campus. He and UPC colleague, political scientist Prof. Michael Johns, have just completed a book examining political changes in Russia. The book “Putin to Medvedev”, which examines the roles of the two recent Russian presidents, will be published this summer.

“Working with Larry on the edited volume has been an incredible learning opportunity for me. He has shown me how to organize a project of this magnitude and how to ensure its success,” Johns said.

“The book will be one of the best sources of information on the new President and to have UPC’s name attached to the CRCR will be an incredible introduction to the academic community.”

Black has been “an incredible addition to our program, bringing his expertise to the classroom. Students have benefited greatly, Johns said.

Black worked with Barrie’s MacLaren Art Centre to secure funding to preserve a collection of 23,000 black and white Soviet-era press photos. Hanging on Black’s office wall, as a thank-you gift from the MacLaren, is a framed, high-quality scan of one of those photos – it’s that classic gathering of the Politburo, Russian leaders in heavy overcoats and black hats, assembled to view some military parade.

“Having the CRCR on site has added to our international profile and the centre has hosted academics from across the country,” Johns said.