CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2022
| Author | Zakaryan, Maria |
|---|---|
| Title | Russia? What Russia? Russia's Identity Within the International System Through the Prism of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the Transnistrian Conflicts |
| Summary | With Russia’s invasion in Ukraine in February 2022, the popular question on the sources of Russia’s behavior went farther from a fixed answer. Answering this question has become more challenging because of the conventional and limiting explanations of Russia’s behavior in the international system defining it as geopolitical aspirations and neo-imperialism. This thesis views Russia’s behavior through the prism of identity and suggests that for understanding what Russia does it is crucial to understand what Russia is. Based on this, the contribution of this research is two-fold: first, it argues that the central pillar for understanding Russia’s actions in the international system is through the continuity and relational performativity of its identity, and, secondly, it demonstrates that there is no fixed identity of Russia, and that it displays different identities in different issues and circumstances. Methodologically, this thesis relies on a discourse analysis of the official statements of Russia’s leaders vis-à-vis two conflicts with Russian involvement—the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Transnistrian conflict. The results showcase that, along with each separate case, Russia’s role in the international system and its foreign policy is multifold and supports the concept of the multiplicity of Russia’s identity. Relying on a relational analysis of Russian foreign policy and the continuities of its identity development, this research adds novel insights to the existing body of literature on Russia’s role in the international system. Key Words: Russia, foreign policy, identity, geopolitics, Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria. |
| Supervisor | Astrov, Alexander |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2022/zakaryan_maria.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University