EUI Between ally and adversary: 'the West' in Russian responses to international terrorism (2001-2014)

The literature has pointed to that there has occurred a significant shift in Russia's relationship with the West in the fight against international terrorism since President Putin cam to power. In the 1990s and early 2000s key Russian actors regarded the West as an ally, whereas in recent years the dominant Russian narrative represents the West as a supporter of international terrorism. By investigating a broad range of sources published in the Russian public sphere, this thesis seeks to contribute to the literature by (1) mapping how this shift has taken place and (2) analyzing what consequences this discursive shift may have for Russian foreign and security policy. By exploring how the West has been represented in four different episodes in the period 1999-2015, the project may produce new knowledge about the relationship between key actors in the Russian society, and how these shape the leeway for Russian foreign and security policy.

Vil oppnå ny innsikt om russisk sikkerhetspolitikk. Ved formidling både til akademia og offentlighet vil prosjektet dermed kunne bidra til ordskiftet om norsk utenrikspolitikk. I internasjonale forskerfora vil den kunne bidra til faglige diskusjoner. Effekten vil forhåpentlig bli formidling i internasjonale tidsskrifter, samt bidrag til internasjonale forskernettverk og konferanser. Foreløpig bidrag i 2021: EISA, BISA, Tartu conference

From 2001 to 2014, Russia has gone from viewing the West as an ally in the fight against terrorism, to accusing it of supporting terrorists. When both Russia and the West have articulated ‘terrorism’ as an existential threat to their security, why does Russia frame the West as a supporter of terrorism, thus hindering collaboration? The literature addressing this shift mainly adresses Russia's motivations, both in terms of ideas and strategic goals. Instead of deducing Russian ‘motivations’, this project takes a genealogical approach. Employing a discourse analysis to key texts and speeches made by the Russian elite, this thesis would map Russian responses to three international acts of terrorism: 9/11 (2001), the Beslan school siege (2004) and the ISIS beheading incidents (2014). The expected findings will show the processes in which the Russian positions came about and highlight the potential for Russia-West collaboration against terrorism.