Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Russia's Near Abroad

Håkansson, Anton LU (2022) FKVK02 20221
Department of Political Science
Abstract
This essay combines theoretical insight from critical geo-politics and security studies to create a framework by which Putin’s Russia, his political prescriptions and actions in the international space can better be understood. It describes how the sociospatial entanglement of the post-soviet region that is today known as Russia's ‘near abroad’ intersects with questions about history, identity, ethnicity on the one hand, and security and geo-political anxiety on the other. Combined, these theoretical accounts reveal how Russian apprehension towards NATO involvement in eastern Europe is exacerbated and multiplied by the region’s historically motivated spatial and cultural complexities. By examining speeches made by Putin before his... (More)
This essay combines theoretical insight from critical geo-politics and security studies to create a framework by which Putin’s Russia, his political prescriptions and actions in the international space can better be understood. It describes how the sociospatial entanglement of the post-soviet region that is today known as Russia's ‘near abroad’ intersects with questions about history, identity, ethnicity on the one hand, and security and geo-political anxiety on the other. Combined, these theoretical accounts reveal how Russian apprehension towards NATO involvement in eastern Europe is exacerbated and multiplied by the region’s historically motivated spatial and cultural complexities. By examining speeches made by Putin before his monumental decision to commence the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine, the narratives and perspectives that influenced this decision are elucidated. The essay reaches the conclusion that complexities in perceptions on security and spatial identity inform a worldview significantly different from the perspectives that are prevalent in the west, and that this helps explain why much of western analysis on the causes of the war has been ambiguous or inconclusive. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Håkansson, Anton LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Spatial identity & Security in a Post-Soviet Space
course
FKVK02 20221
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Spatiality, Security Cultures, Critical Geopolitics, NATO, Russia, Ukraine
language
English
id
9097747
date added to LUP
2022-10-04 13:30:24
date last changed
2022-10-04 13:30:24
@misc{9097747,
  abstract     = {{This essay combines theoretical insight from critical geo-politics and security studies to create a framework by which Putin’s Russia, his political prescriptions and actions in the international space can better be understood. It describes how the sociospatial entanglement of the post-soviet region that is today known as Russia's ‘near abroad’ intersects with questions about history, identity, ethnicity on the one hand, and security and geo-political anxiety on the other. Combined, these theoretical accounts reveal how Russian apprehension towards NATO involvement in eastern Europe is exacerbated and multiplied by the region’s historically motivated spatial and cultural complexities. By examining speeches made by Putin before his monumental decision to commence the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine, the narratives and perspectives that influenced this decision are elucidated. The essay reaches the conclusion that complexities in perceptions on security and spatial identity inform a worldview significantly different from the perspectives that are prevalent in the west, and that this helps explain why much of western analysis on the causes of the war has been ambiguous or inconclusive.}},
  author       = {{Håkansson, Anton}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Russia's Near Abroad}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}