CEU eTD Collection (2025); Sidamon-Eristavi, Shalva: The Shadow of the USSR? Russia's Foreign Policy Goals in the Near Abroad under Vladimir Putin

CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
Author Sidamon-Eristavi, Shalva
Title The Shadow of the USSR? Russia's Foreign Policy Goals in the Near Abroad under Vladimir Putin
Summary Russia starting the biggest war in Europe since World War II convinced a lot of people that they are indeed trying to restore the Soviet-era sphere of influence. This process also raised a question, of what kind of strategies Putin uses to achieve his goals. The thesis integrates qualitative analysis and shows the scholarly debates about Putin’s intentions and the examination of how he is trying to reinstate Russian dominance in its near abroad. This paper uses international relations ideologies, scholars, and directly involves individuals and agencies such as Vladimir Putin’s essay and the official statements of Russian foreign ministry. By employing and then synthesizing realism and liberalism, it aims to fill in the gaps and limitations that those frameworks have separately. It shows how they use hybrid warfare, military actions, economic coercion, and the manipulation with energy dependency to achieve their goals.
Supervisor Astrov, Alexander
Department Undergraduate Studies BA
Full texthttps://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/sidamon_shalva.pdf

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