CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2022
| Author | Ivanova, Alisiya |
|---|---|
| Title | Conceptualizing "In-Betweenness": Post-Soviet States as Objects of a Contest Among Outside Powers |
| Summary | The end of the Cold War has resulted in significant changes in interstate relations and security architecture on the European continent. Newly emerged states in Eastern Europe have found themselves in-between the West and Russia — two bigger powers with a great distrust for each other. Present thesis advances a new theoretical category — an “in-between state”. Through comparative analysis, the thesis has demonstrated that none of the existing categories such as “small state” and “buffer state” can explain the specificity of international position of post-soviet Eastern European states. Instead, the term “in-between state”, currently used exclusively in policy publications, should be introduced to international relations scholarship. The key element of an in-between state is its status of an object of contest among bigger neighboring powers. In the post-soviet space, it is the West and Russia that have no consensus on geopolitical affiliation of an in-between state. Present research has used role theory to explain the specific constraints and opportunities that in-between states face in the foreign policy field. While in-between states have very limited choice of national role conceptions, they also face a “three-level role conflict”: they face two different expectations about its role from two more powerful neighbors, while attempting to advance its own role conception. The thesis has introduced a classification of in-between states and argued that “in-betweenness” of a state can be located on a spectrum. The spectrum varies from a “faithful ally” of the West to a “faithful ally” of Russia, with neutrality being on the center of the spectrum. The Belarus case study demonstrates that one state can change degrees of its “in-betweenness” over time, based on changes in national role conception amid favorable external environment. However, role performance can be unsuccessful due to dissatisfaction with the role from the surrounding bigger powers. |
| Supervisor | LaRoche, Christopher David |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2022/ivanova_alisiya.pdf |
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