Russia Flashcards
From 1922 onwards, Soviet FP had two primary goals…
- Recovery of lands lost -> Finland, Baltic States… to form a defensive buffer against Western invasion
- Abolishment of states + replacement w. socialist commonwealth governed by Russia
Soviet leaders maintained their FP was based on…
Marxism-Leninism
What was Marxism-Leninism?
Idea that war + conflict would only disappear when the entire world had become socialist
Soviet Foreign Policy was…
- Aggressive
- Defensive
- Had an imperial drive
What happened to Marxism-Leninism when communism fell?
When communism fell, Marxism-Leninism was completely discredited
What happened to Russian FP without Marxism-Leninism?
- Difficult to conceptualise FP without a pervasive ideology
- Exacerbated by struggle to achieve sense of national identity following disintegration of USSR
What was expected of Russia at the end of the Cold War?
Expected to
- Accept rules + norms of Western states
- Adhere to West’s solidarist version of international society
What did the West seek to do to the Russian economy and what was the effect?
West sought to open the Russian economy up to investment
But these reforms saw a radical worsening of inequality in Russian society
Why did Russia elect Putin?
With Russia weakened, it felt it needed a strong leader to restore Russian greatness
What was Putin’s ascendance to power accompanied by?
- Economic recovery
- More assertive stance in its FP
What kind of international society was Russia increasingly seen as a supporter of?
Russia was increasingly seen as a supporter of a pluralist vision of society
One characterised by
- limited cooperation
- respect for sovereignty + non-intervention
Russia’s support for a pluralist vision of society is paradoxical. What does it cherish on the global scale?
On the global scale, Russia cherishes norms of sovereignty + non-intervention
What is Russia willing to do regionally that contradicts the pluralist vision of society?
Russia has been ready + willing to undermine the sovereignty of states by:
- Attempting to establish sphere of influence
- Waging wars on humanitarian grounds
- Policy borders
Why has Russia established the Eurasian Union?
- Integrationist idea -> increasing Russia’s sphere of influence
- Aim: to match EU
- Expected to diminish mistrust smaller states feel towards Russia
- Adoption of European model suggests desire for equal status w. western states, despite anti-west rhetoric
What does the Eurasian Union entail?
- Integrated single market
- Free movement of goods, capital, services and people
What view of society does the Eurasian Union reflect?
To some extent a solidarist approach
How has Russia often legitimised its engagement in conflict?
- In terms of ‘international peacekeeping’
- But conflict prevention hasn’t always been its aim
- Intervention has often resulted in disputes freezing rather than being resolved
What event was a clear violation of pluralist norms?
The occupation + subsequent annexation of Crimea (part of sovereign territory of Ukraine)
Active support for separist forces + military intrusions of Russian troops on Ukraine soil
What was the pretext of Russia’s annexation of Crimea?
Pretext of protecting Russian-speaking population -> little evidence as to what that threat might be
Has Russia become more nationalistic in its foreign policy?
Yes - Russia has become more nationalistic, especially in its struggle to define national identity
Why has Russia become more nationalistic?
As a means of asserting themselves + finding a place on the world stage
What has happened as Putin has solidified power?
- Increasingly has centralised political + economic power
- Has appropriated Russian cultural + historical symbols to help build support
- To emphasise a shared sense of Russian nationalism
- FP increasingly followed patterns of autocracy + paternalism
Why does Putin believe a powerful leader is necessary for Russia?
- Outsiders have historically threatened Russia
- Russia has always been betrayed by the west
- Only a powerful leader could ensure a stable Russia
What is Russia unwilling to do?
See its neighbours grow powerful
Orient with the west
