The ‘Eurasian’ axis: civilizational identity constructions in contemporary Russian foreign policy

Thesis

Vladimir Putin first voiced the idea of forming a single ‘Eurasian’ civilizational space in the early 2000s. Today, this idea still resonates in Russian foreign policy discourse. Presenting both European and Asian political models as inappropriate for Russia’s ‘zone of influence’, the civilizational rhetoric found in contemporary Russian foreign policy builds on the prominent concept of a ‘Russian third way’. The notion of Eurasia used in this rhetoric supports the idea of ‘third pole’ that lies between East and West and serves to frame the Russian state as an actor of ‘civilizational proportions’ that supposedly has the unique ability to unite the languages, traditions, customs and cultures of the so-called ‘peoples of Eurasia’. This thesis examines how policy-discursive structures related to a Eurasian civilizational identity have functioned in Russian foreign policy discourse between 2000 and 2020, coupling (i) a longitudinal analysis of foreign policy language to (ii) three contextualizing case studies. Where the longitudinal analysis explores the broad narrative themes surrounding a Eurasian civilizational identity in contemporary Russian foreign policy, the case studies examine how these discourses operate in bilateral relations with those countries Russia considers to be its key ‘Eurasian’ partners: Kazakhstan, China, and Belarus. The study focuses specifically on the spatial, temporal and ethical dimensions of identity construction. In doing so, the thesis unpacks a ‘radicalizing’ trend in Russian foreign policy language under the Putin regime. Whilst the primary research focus is on foreign policy texts published until 2020, the broader analysis ultimately reveals how civilizational identity discourses have offered an ideological basis for Russia’s irredentist foreign policy, which – the thesis argues – has culminated in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Authors: Roggeveen, B

• Alternative title: The ‘Eurasian’ axis
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-j1arpn2xk
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: civilization; foreign policy; identity; Eurasia; Belarus; discourse analysis; Kazakhstan; Russian Federation; China; international relations; identity construction; Russia
• Subjects: International relations; Eurasia; Russian foreign policy; Discourse analysis; Identity politics; Civilization; Political science