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Russia's Idea After the Dissolution of the USSR. The changes of V. Putin's geopolitical thought
Martinek, Jan ; Kolenovská, Daniela (advisor) ; Svoboda, Karel (referee)
In this thesis, I examine how geopolitical ideas about the future development of the Russian Federation changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and how the Vladimir Putin regime has subsequently built on this debate. Using Russian political and geopolitical thought, I demonstrate that the key questions to which the Russian elite (whether intellectuals or members of the ruling class) have attempted to find answers over the past two hundred years remain relevant and continue to shape social discurs: For example, the question of how open Russia should be to foreign influences, whether it represents a European, Asian, or unique civilization, and whether the Russian nation has an exceptional, messianic mission to which it must subordinate its existence. Different schools of geopolitics have successively offered different - mutually contradictory - answers to these questions. Thus, I first present the history of the search for the Russian idea, and then, using speeches and articles delivered and written by Vladimir Putin in particular, I argue that none of these geopolitical conceptions alone fully explains the direction in which today's Russia is heading, but that in their summary they can in some way explaining the gradual changes in Putin's rhetoric and policies. Whereas earlier geopolitical...
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The shaping of Russia's Arctic strategy
Fritzen, Johan ; Doboš, Bohumil (advisor) ; Romancov, Michael (referee)
The Shaping of Russia's Arctic strategy Abstract Dramatic and rapid shifts are brought about by climate changes to the Arctic geography: Arctic Ocean ice recedes and leave behind resources and sea lanes that traditionally were out of reach to man. This potentially leads to conflict between the coastal states which have overlapping resource claims in the region, different forms of statehood, and diverging security priorities. The changes are felt the strongest in Russia which is investing in Arctic infrastructure to accommodate oil and gas extraction, in addition to a slowly opening intercontinental trade route along her Northern shores. Arctic extraction is a means of increasing economic output and the maritime route to Asia ensures a diversified market which is unlikely to engage in trade sanctions to the same extent as Europe. Melting Arctic ice has repercussions in the defence sphere as well: traditionally protected against invasions from the North by a frozen ocean, Russia's Arctic coastline is becoming exposed to foreign powers. This has sparked a Russian military build-up in the region, inspiring her neighbouring Arctic states to consider their regional defence - not as a response to changed climatic conditions, but to Russia's rhetoric and actions. Both the economic flexibility stemming from Arctic...
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Transformations of World Order and Humanitarianism
Kárník, Jan ; Barša, Pavel (advisor) ; Slačálek, Ondřej (referee)
The master thesis deals with the historical development of humanitarian aid against the backdrop of transformations of the world order. Firstly, the thesis scrutinizes the differences between the classical humanitarianism of the Red Cross and the so-called new humanitarianism, which emerged during the Nigerian civil war (1967-1970). Secondly, the thesis demonstrates that although the new humanitarianism tends to be presented in an opposition to and as a more historically advanced form of the classic humanitarianism, when examined in a more detailed manner, the two humanitarian approaches face similar dilemmas in relation to political power. The overcoming of the "end of history" era, which gave rise and prominence to the new humanitarianism, opened discussion about the alternatives to the future of the world order. This shift allows us to formulate the main argument of the thesis - the evolution of the humanitarianism should not be seen as teleological and linear but as a continuous process in which both the classic and the new humanitarianism need to balance between strict legalism which can lead to moral failure and exaggerated moralism which can have consequences contradicting the basic principles of humanitarian action. Keywords: classical humanitarianism, new humanitarianism, human rights,...
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