Naslov
Analyzing war in the Caucasus in a new light: factors explaining Russian military campaign in Georgia in 2008

Autori
Saša Čvrljak

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Ocjenski radovi, magistarski rad

Fakultet
Central European University

Mjesto
Budapest, Hungary

Datum
16.06

Godina
2009

Stranica
63

Mentor
Merlingen, Michael

Ključne riječi
Russia; post-Soviet space; NATO; foreign policy analysis; constructivism; geopolitics

Sažetak
Russo-Georgian war in the summer of 2008 represents one of the most important political events in the post-Soviet space after the 1991 because for the first time Russia used its military power in a fully-fledged manner and intervened into the territory of the other sovereign country. Thesis has aimed to unveil factors leading to this intervention based on the constructivist IR theory and by using foreign policy analysis of the Russian foreign policy during the Putin's era. Research has argued that ideational factors, namely attached social meanings and values towards the Russian posture in international affairs, sense of “Russian greatness” and particularly its primacy in the post-Soviet space have played an important role in forging military intervention. Namely, after being outplayed in the Balkans during the 1990s and weakening its position in the former Soviet republics, following the democratic upheavals in the early 2000s, Russian identity of the great power was largely harmed. This was further aggravated due to the robust US foreign policy posture during the Bush administration that aimed to install anti-missile shield in Eastern Europe and offer NATO membership towards former Soviet countries. Russia tried to regain its influence in the post-Soviet space through economic cooperation and relying on its “soft power” mechanisms but largely unsuccessfully with simultaneous Western presence fueling the sense of inferiority and weakness. Therefore, during the second Putin's term between 2004-2008, Russian foreign policy has adopted more confrontational attitude towards West by flexing muscles through energy policy, military-build up and increasing influence in the post-Soviet region. This dynamics has firmly changed Russian foreign policy paradigm that now opted for greater regional assertiveness and potential usage of military means if needed, especially in the case of further NATO enlargement towards Ukraine and Georgia. The chance to implement this newest stand occurred in the August 2008, when Georgian Government aimed to restore authority over its two breakaway regions: South Ossetia and Abkhazia, whose semi-independence was supported by Moscow. Russia retailed fiercely to this Georgian attempt, saying its prevents potential humanitarian disaster and Russian citizens in the two regions, embarking into a full-scale warfare that lasted for six days and subsequently recognizing two regions, based on the Kosovo's independence precedent, earlier that year. Consequently, Russian intervention in Georgia occurred as an interplay of the need to restore Russian sense of pride and “greatness” identity on the international scale, especially in its “near abroad”, and at the same time of the Russian foreign policy doctrine's evolution, now advocating and embarking into more robust combination of political, energy and military instruments in pursing its goals.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Politologija

POVEZANOST RADA