CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Dufalla, Jacqueline |
|---|---|
| Title | Re-Conceptualizing A Global Challenger: Russia In The International System |
| Summary | What kind of challenger is contemporary Russia, if one at all? This dissertation aims to explore this question by, first, focusing on the concept of a challenger (and therefore, also a challenger to what), and then by constructing a usable framework to analyze contemporary Russia. In International Relations literature, the concept of a global challenger has evolved and been explored further in discussions of hegemony and counter-hegemonic movements. However, with this breadth of literature, confusion has grown in one specific area, which is the implicit difference between a challenger who challenges its position versus a challenger who challenges the global order. For instance, if a challenger simply wants a different role in an existing institution, this indicates that the challenger still respects the basic tenants of the system. However, if a challenger views the system as illegitimate, this is an altogether different threat, one which would involve greater upheaval. Following a neo-Gramscian approach, I highlight the importance of common-sense to the international hegemonic system and focus, but not limit, my analysis based on this feature. To better comprehend the nuances of these two trends, I construct two Weberian ideal types through analyzing two historical cases (Petrine Russia and early Bolshevik Russia) to form a usable framework. I analyze Peter I as an example of a challenger wanting to change its place in the existing system and the Bolsheviks as an example of wanting to change and replace the international system. By using this framework, I then analyze top-level foreign policy discourse coming from the Russian Federation, starting from the Annexation of Crimea to the recent full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As a result, I find that the dichotomy presented initially is too static; challengers are dialectical, changing with the system in unexpected ways, and at times, they exhibit multiple kinds of challenges at once. Rather than attempting to pin down what type of challenger one actor might be, it is more productive to consider at which moments an actor presents challenges, the signposts they exhibit, and to what they are responding. In this case, Russia from 2015-2021 was neither a challenger aiming to change its position nor one that wanted to change the system, although it exhibited both elements at times in response to its external and internal environments. This means challengers and challenges are dynamic, situational, and even opportunistic at times. |
| Supervisor | Alexander Astrov |
| Department | Political Science PhD |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/dufalla_jacqueline.pdf |
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