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The re-securitization of Russia: an analysis of the assertive shift in Norwegian security policy in the aftermath of the Russian annexation of Crimea
Syberg, Louise Savalov ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (advisor) ; Laryš, Martin (referee)
The relationship between Russia and Norway is one dictated by the asymmetric nature and ideological differences among the two states. Ever since the Cold War, the relationship has been one of cooperation and communication, characterized by Norway's dual policy and constant balancing between assertiveness and reassurance. After the Russian annexation of Crimea, the Norwegian security policy seemingly shifted in an assertive direction. Russia was once again lifted from the politics of normal to the politics of extra through a securitization. This thesis aims to demonstrate how Russia became resecuritized after the Russian annexation of Crimea. The empirical evidence presented in this thesis demonstrates that this assertive shift that came after the resecuritization of Russia is a result of the Russian demonstration of its modernized military, rather than a natural consequence of the hostile act the annexation was. It seeks to demonstrate that the changing security climate with Russia's new ways of war, or so-called hybrid warfare, coupled with a diminishing US interest in the Alliance, is the reason for this change in Norwegian security policy.
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Russia's Syria policy: geopolitical interests or defense of great power identity?
Hirling, Marcel ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (advisor) ; Ananyeva, Ekaterina (referee)
of Master thesis Russia's Syria policy: geopolitical interests or defense of great power identity? Marcel Hirling Abstract: Russia has been the dominating actor in Syria since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. Researchers disagree what Russia motivates to block UN resolutions, support Assad, and intervene militarily in 2015. Academics have mainly focused on neorealist explanations. Constructivist arguments have been shortcoming so far as they miss a detailed theoretical justification and empirical evidence. This thesis aims to fill this gap by arguing that the objective utility of Syria is marginal. Instead, Syria provided Russia the opportunity to present itself as a global power, able to shape world affairs on eye level with the US. Therefore, this paper conducts a congruence analysis, which evaluates each theory's explanatory power. The analytical section is split into three parts. The first shows that events before Syria did not make a Russian intervention in Syria necessary, but that recognition of Russia's global power identity has been denied. That Russia's actions in Syria are not entirely congruent with neorealist expectations is shown by the second part. Finally, by conducting a content-analysis, several Russian narratives are evaluated that support the argument that Russia seeks...
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Scenarios of future EU-Britain defence cooperation
Boyanova, Pavlina ; Karásek, Tomáš (advisor) ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (referee)
Reference BOYANOVA, Pavlina. Scenarios of Future EU-Britain Defence Cooperation. Prague, 2020. Master's thesis. Charles University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Security Studies. Abstract Brexit day may have passed, but we know too little about what form the future relationship between the EU and the UK will assume. This thesis explores several scenarios for an EU-Britain cooperation post-Brexit, focusing in particular on the partnership in defence policy. It considers defence cooperation (1) within the EU defence framework, (2) relations within the NATO framework, (3) structured cooperation outside the EU framework and the NATO framework, (4) bilateral ties between the UK and EU member states and (5) non-cooperation. The author combines analytic eclectism with a qualitative interpretative research design to evaluate each scenario against a series of theoretically-informed empirical expectations regarding governments' decisions to pursue defence jointly. It puts forward a theoretical framework that includes factors, such as strategic culture, foreign-political postures and attitudes towards European integration as potential explanations for the post- Brexit dynamics of defence cooperation. Keywords Brexit, Britain, European Union, defence, cooperation, scenarios
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Causes of the Ukraine crisis
Bartáková, Aneta ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (advisor) ; Laryš, Martin (referee)
A liberal understanding of international politics is currently dominant. However, it is important to note that there are still states that have not adopted this understanding, yet, which brings complications here. The current clash of these two understandings, i.e. liberalism and realism, thus constantly forms the security environment. Probably the most obvious case of the present seems to be the case of Ukraine and the related Ukraine crisis. The aim of this diploma thesis is to give a picture of the causes of the Ukraine crisis in a broader context than is generally interpreted across individual media, using an offensive-realistic framework. The motives of the individual actors of the conflict, especially Russia, will be examined in an attempt to present those motives as not primarily offensive but to some extent as defensive. Several research questions will serve me to fulfil the above-mentioned goal - How can the main causes of the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine be explained from the perspective of offensive realism? According to offensive realism, what actor is responsible for the outbreak of conflict? In terms of offensive realism, how can the motives of the key actors (i.e. Russia, the West) be explained?
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Countering Disinformation: A Case Study of Government Responses to Russian Information Warfare
Carruthers, Samuel ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (advisor) ; Špelda, Petr (referee)
Russia employs a set of non-linear tactics against Western democracies that have been characterized as "hybrid warfare." Disinformation and propaganda are a key part of a comprehensive strategy that uses non-military means to achieve political and strategic objectives. EU governments, some of them with a history of facing this type of threat and others as more recent targets, have had different responses to disinformation campaigns. Policies meant to counter disinformation are becoming increasingly coordinated as governments attempt to build resilience through media literacy and strategic communication. This paper examines counter policies against disinformation through the lens of securitization theory in four case studies of EU member states, each examining an incident of disinformation and the ensuing government response. The cases are as follows (1) UK - Sergei Skripal, (2) Germany - Lisa Case, (3) Lithuania - NATO rape allegations, and (4) Spain - Catalan Independence Referendum. The results indicate that while the UK and Lithuania have fully securitized disinformation, Germany and Spain are currently in the process of securitization. It also argues that securitization has a direct influence on policies pursued to counter disinformation and the effectiveness of such policies, recommending a more...
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Analysis of Russia's Implementation of Soft Power in Estonia
Pihlapuu, Kertu ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (advisor) ; Cheskin, Ammon (referee)
The aim of current paper is to analyse Russia's interpretation of soft power and how it has been implemented in Estonia. As Russia's understanding of the concept does not necessarily align with the definition proposed by Joseph Nye, Russian Foreign Policy will be examined along with the Compatriot Policies that are at the centre of Russia's soft power approach. The study will also assess the language and education questions in Estonia that are relevant to the Russian minority issue and thus have become integral part for the Russian Compatriot Policy as well as review the events over the recent years.
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Securitization of hybrid war in the Czech Republic
Hendrych, Daniel ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (advisor) ; Záhora, Jakub (referee)
The thesis is focused on currently widely discussed topic of the Russian hybrid warfare. It examines how the discourse surrounding this topic in the Czech Republic unfolded and how certain actors, primarily the think-tank European Values, have securitized the issue of the Russian hybrid warfare. The thesis is grounded in the securitization theory developed by the Copenhagen School. The international context is also discussed, since the discourses about the Russian hybrid warfare against the West are interconnected and the interest in this subject have risen after the annexation of Crimea and especially after the Russian interference into the U.S. presidential election in 2016. The case study of the documents related to the Russian hybrid warfare published by the think-tank European Values is central to this project. Institutional mistrust is a crucial underlying cause driving the success of disinformation campaigns and creates an opportunity for the hybrid efforts. However, this thesis attempts to explain, how securitization of the Russian hybrid warfare can be unhelpful or even detrimental to the goal of facilitating a greater trust in institutions.
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Effects of the Brexit referendum on the Common Security and Defence policy
Schlecht, Niclas ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (advisor) ; Plechanovová, Běla (referee) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee)
in English The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) epitomizes the EU's aspirations to be a key actor in global security. With the Brexit the CSDP looses its biggest military power and one of its major payers. This thesis assesses how the EU dealed with the Brexit referendum and how the CSDP developed. It provides evaluation of the CSDP- related policies and asses the degree to which new developments can be traced back to the Brexit referendum and how they are infected by domestic constituencies in the EU Member States. The thesis shows that the exit of the UK gave the CSDP new possibilities to develop, that were not fully used due to domestic constraints of EU Member States.
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A small state's influence within the EU and NATO. Lithuania's countermeasures against Russia
Berta, Szilard ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (advisor) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee)
The overall purpose of the study is to contribute to the small state literature. The thesis demonstrates that small states can increase their influence within the current international environment, with the use of different kind of 'soft power' tools. Therefore, an in-depth analysis is conducted about the influence capabilities of Lithuania within the EU and NATO. To adequately demonstrate Lithuania's results and influence capabilities, case study research is applied on two policy areas: Lithuania's energy security initiatives within the EU and NATO vis-á-vis Russia; and Lithuania's military initiatives within NATO after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The thesis built on the combination of three theories, including Regional Security Complex Theory, Alliance Shelter Theory, and the Theory of Power. This leads to the analysis of eight 'soft power tools' (Political Will and Prioritisation; Cooperation with the Close Neighbours and Within the Region; Relationship with the European Commission; Personal Relationship; Relationship with the Presidency of the Council of the European Union; The Character/ Personality of the President or the Prime Minister; Discourse and Framing; Reputation and Image). The main conclusion of the thesis is that due to these instruments, Lithuania 'as a small state' was able...
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The Role of Civil Society in Ukraine's National Security and Defence
Školek, Lukáš ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (advisor) ; Střítecký, Vít (referee)
Keywords: securitization, Ukraine, civil society, reform, resilience, approximation This thesis aims to clarify the role of Ukrainian civil society in the approximation process of the Ukrainian defence sector to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The research question this thesis seeks to answer is: How does the activity of the civil society, influence the approximation process of Ukraine to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization? The thesis then chooses the theoretical framework of analysis offered by the securitization theory. The speech act framing the exitential threat to state's legitimacy is clearly defined and based on this referent object of security is selected. Extraordinary measures which include closer cooperation with representatives of CSOs are named. Then, NATO's criteria for admission into Membership Action Plan are confronted in order to select those, which most closely coallign with the mission of partnerships of civil society organizations and the government brought together as extraordinary measures resulting from the securitization. These organizations are: The Public Council under the Ministry of Defence, ProZorro, Reforms Project Office, and the Ministry of Information Policy. After this, analysis of the activity of these civil society organizations reveals their...
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