Both in discussions on the determinants of Russian foreign policy before February 2022 and the reasons for the unleashing of the war against Ukraine, ontological security studies mark their presence. The growing popularity of them for the study of Russia’s foreign policy, and in particular the interpretation of the causes of Russian aggression, is largely due to the shock of the outbreak of war, the inability of traditional schools in the field of International Relations to provide a satisfactory answer to questions about the causes of Russia’s aggressive actions and the ability to predict and/or prevent war. Studies on ontological security work best in cases where other explanations fail, when the behaviour of a political actor is contrary to his material interests. Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, which was a continuation of the 2014 decision to unleash a war in Donbas, bore all the hallmarks of an action harmful for the Russia’s national interests. Post-Soviet Russia attempted to alleviate its ontological anxiety with a narrative discourse, but also by undertaking bold military interventions outside its borders, annexing territories, and initiating local armed conflicts. The central point of the article is the analysis of two speeches by Vladimir Putin delivered on 21 and 24 February 2024.
The aim of the article is: 1. to interpret the content of the Putin’s speeches to determine the causes and sources of Russia’s ontological insecurity on the eve invasion on Ukraine; 2. to answer the question of how the war was supposed to alleviate the Russian sense of ontological insecurity; 3. to clarify how ontological security theory could help students of modern Russia better understand its behaviour and predict future actions of Kremlin. In order to achieve the above-mentioned goal, the author refers to an analytical scheme by Hugo von Essen and August Danielson’s mechanism of ontological insecurity.
Możesz również Rozpocznij zaawansowane wyszukiwanie podobieństw dla tego artykułu.
