Russian Assertiveness in the Barents Sea Region: Between Perceptions of Itself & its Enemies
The premise of this thesis is to describe, explain and ultimately comprehend Russian assertiveness in the Barents Sea Region. Guided by a dual theoretical framework consisting of constructivism and neorealism, this thesis sets out to answer: how can Russian assertiveness in the Barents Sea Region be...
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| Format: | Master Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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2022
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10852/92840 http://urn.nb.no/URN:NBN:no-95383 |
| Summary: | The premise of this thesis is to describe, explain and ultimately comprehend Russian assertiveness in the Barents Sea Region. Guided by a dual theoretical framework consisting of constructivism and neorealism, this thesis sets out to answer: how can Russian assertiveness in the Barents Sea Region be comprehended? Through conducting a theory-guided case-study, this thesis describes and explains the historical context and the contemporary military developments in the region through a qualitative document analysis supplemented with elite and expert interviews. The empirical findings suggest that the combination of a strong national self-perception related to being a great power, combined with an increased skepticism towards the increasing U.S. military presence in one of Russia’s most crucial strategic regions – namely, where Russia’s submarine-based nuclear force is located – provides one possible way of comprehending Russian assertiveness in the Barents Sea Region. |
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