Notion Of Security In Russian Foreign Policy To EU -Russian Relationship And Crimean Crisis Using Constructivist Theory

EU-RUSSIAN RELATIONS 1

Notion of Security in Russian Foreign Policy to EU -Russian relationship and Crimean

Crisis using Constructivist Theory.

EU-RUSSIAN RELATIONS 2

In the early 1980’s, Russia and the European Union had a favorable relationship which

gradually degraded in the early 1990’s from being cooperative to a competitive interaction in a

shared neighborhood (Haukkala, 2015, p. 30). The recent Ukrainian crisis and the annexation of

Crimea have had a significant and negative effect on the notion of security within the Russian-

EU relationship (Teper, 2016, p. 390). The Russian leaders were dedicated towards improving

the country’s notion of security as constructed in Russian foreign policy. Firstly, Russia exerted

increased pressure on the neighboring territory including Syria, especially after Crimea

annexation. This caused the EU to suspend its practical cooperation with Ukraine in the attempt

of strengthening the organization’s security (Lichtenstein et al., 2018, p. 6). The EU-Russian

relationship is one of competition, where both actors represent a strategic player in combating

global and regional challenges (Delanoe, 2014, p. 370) This essay uses constructivist theory to

elaborate the notion of security in Russia and the EU and highlights the Russian-EU relationship,

particularly after the Crimean crisis (Dezentjé & Lamont, 2014, p. 7).

Based on the knowledge of the constructivist theory, Russian leaders have been dedicated

to learning from their previous encounters and experiences regarding their perceptions and

notion about security (McCourt, 2016, p. 380). For instance, the fall of Soviet Union in the early

1990’s, led to a security crisis in Russia, which created the need for Russian leaders to reform the

political discourse and security management strategies, especially while dealing with Ukraine

(Kalotay, 2014, p. 15). The notion of security in Russia in the 21st century is accompanied by

qualitative changes due to the occurrence of violent events in the 1990’s, which necessitated the

strengthening of the democratic government to successfully obtain socioeconomic and political

transformation in the Middle East (Kudrin & Gurvich, 2015, p. 33). The construction of Russian

foreign policy under the reign of President Putin, is an indication that Russian leaders are

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dedicated to restore the security of the nation which is also part of showing its international goals

and motives to the EU. The Russian leaders understand that the notion of security is of

importance, especially, with the current ongoing debate with the EU; thus, to ease the tension

Russian leaders are prepared to introduce new policies that will prevent further instabilities as in

the case of Crimea annexation (Faizullaev & Cornut, 2017, p. 600).

Over the decades, Russia’s goals have always remained in line with the expansion of the

Russian Empire (McCourt, 2016, p. 380). The Crimea Crisis was among the moves proving its

determination to conquer and control the Middle East region (Kalotay, 2014, p. 15). The

European Union greatly condemned Russia for its actions, arguing that it did not recognize

Crimea. Russia’s actions in Crimea has resulted to their increased disputes with the EU.

Recently, President Yanyukoviych declared himself the head of Crimea and gained support from

Russia ("Russia's actions in Crimea", 2014, p. 1). Yanyukovioych confirmed that Ukraine is

interested in gaining military support from Russia, which is also against the powers of the

president. In all these acts in Crimea, the EU believes that Russia is trying to execute its law

through military force in Ukraine (Kudrin & Gurvich, 2015, p. 33).

The constructivism theory guarantees that there is enough time for conversations and

negotiations to succeed in building effective foreign policies and relationships which are the key

to constructing the idea of security in Russia (Tsygankov, 2016, p. 13). Since the Annexation of

Crimea, there have been intense debates between Russia and the EU. The Russian leaders have

had varied reasons to react and contribute towards strengthening the country’s notion of security.

(Spiessens & Poucke, 2016, p. 320). Nevertheless, the fact that Russia has made the idea of

security possible and effective through Putin’s power politics threatens the EU’s success and

brand politics.

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References

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rules. International Affairs, 90(6), 1255-1297.

Delanoe, I. (2014). After the Crimean crisis: towards a greater Russian maritime power in the

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Dezentjé, A. E., & Lamont, M. C. (2014). THE EUROPEAN UNION FOREIGN POLICY

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Faizullaev, A., & Cornut, J. (2017). Narrative practice in international politics and diplomacy:

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Kudrin, A., & Gurvich, E. (2015). A new growth model for the Russian economy1. Russian

journal of economics, 1(1), 30-54.

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Lichtenstein, D., Esau, K., Pavlova, L., Osipov, D., & Argylov, N. (2018). Framing the Ukraine

crisis: A comparison between talk show debates in Russian and German

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35154633

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patterns of reframing on the Russian website InoSMI. The Translator, 22(3), 319-339.

Teper, Y. (2016). Official Russian identity discourse in light of the annexation of Crimea:

national or imperial?. Post-Soviet Affairs, 32(4), 378-396.

Tsygankov, A. P. (2016). Russia's foreign policy: change and continuity in national identity.

Rowman & Littlefield.

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