Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (CEERES) – Master’s Theses

Selle kollektsiooni püsiv URIhttps://hdl.handle.net/10062/66593

Sirvi

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Between declaratory consensus and implementation gap: Polish and Hungarian gas diversification policy dilemma
(Tartu Ülikool, 2023) Ghazaryan, Mkhitar; Pożarlik, Grzegorz, juhendaja; Aliyev, Huseyn, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The presented research is in the realm of energy studies, and it seeks to shed light on the diverging gas diversification implementation approaches of Poland and Hungary. In spite of the fact that these countries have much in common from a historical, economic, social, and geopolitical standpoint, a deepening gap has been observed between their energy policies, which the thesis strives to expose. The study aims at explaining the discrepancy between the formal alignment of the states with respect to the necessity to diversify gas routes/sources and the translation and execution of such objectives in practice via thorough assessment of official documents and secondary sources. Considering the increased energy security concerns and the ongoing need to diversify the gas market in light of geopolitical developments in the region, the core timeframe of the research is the period from 2014 to 2021. While the annexation of Crimea in 2014, as well as deteriorating relations with Russia and threats from its aggressive foreign policy, are seen as the main catalysts for reassessing energy policy, gas disruptions caused by the 2006/2009 crises are also addressed and deemed the foundation for amplification of gas diversification. The research compares the gas diversification strategies of Poland and Hungary, revealing the circumstances that have prompted each country to choose a different path. The thesis’ analysis and conclusions are meant to contribute significantly to the field of energy studies and encourage further research in the subject.
From paradox to policy: the construction of Islam in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy discourse
(Tartu Ülikool, 2024) Claessen, Koen Leo Victor Gertrudis; Zviadadze, Sopiko, juhendaja; Aliyev, Huseyn, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Surrounded by neighbours with close ties between religion and state, Muslim-majority Azerbaijan distinguishes itself in the region through its strong commitment to state secularism. However, despite Azerbaijan's strong commitment to secularism and its active securitization and crackdown on Islamic movements, the country incorporates Islamic discourse in its foreign policy. This study explores this apparent contradiction by examining how Islam is discursively constructed within Azerbaijan’s foreign policy between 2011 and 2020, and how these constructions contribute to shaping the country's foreign policy identity. Existing research on the role of religion in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy has mostly taken a realist approach, viewing secularism and religion as existing within a binary framework. In contrast, this research adopts a post-secular perspective, viewing religious and secular discourses as interacting in dialogue rather than existing in opposition. By applying Lene Hansen’s poststructuralist theory of foreign policy and its associated method of poststructuralist discourse analysis, this thesis then examines how Islam is represented in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy discourse and how these representations engage in a post-secular dialogue with secularist discourse to shape key aspects of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy identity. This approach reveals that Azerbaijan’s foreign policy discourse constructs Islam as a force of solidarity and as an element of national heritage. These representations feature in a post-secular identity where Islam complements secular portrayals of Azerbaijan as a nation committed to both solidarity and heritage, endowing Azerbaijan’s foreign policy identity with both religious and secular meaning. Embodying both these aspects allows Azerbaijan to claim an identity characterized by duality. By differentiating itself from Others that lack this duality, Azerbaijan constructs itself as exceptional and morally virtuous.
Neoclassical realism: foreign policymaking in the South Caucasus
(Tartu Ülikool, 2020) Gill, Jack; Gvalia, Giorgi, juhendaja; Aliyev, Huseyn, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The states of the South Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan) each have remarkably different interests and orientations when it comes to their foreign policy. One would think that 3 small Post-Soviet states occupying the same geographical region, with common histories of domination by neighbouring powers, would have operate in similar ways towards their larger neighbours and the rest of the world. In point of fact, the opposite is true – each state has its own unique orientation, which can be seen clearest in the way each state conducts its own foreign policy. There is, of course, a multitude of reasons explaining this divergence in foreign policy. Using a neoclassical realist theoretical basis, this study aims to examine foreign policy by identifying both system- and unit-level variables that have influenced foreign policy in the countries of the South Caucasus since gaining their independence while testing the applicability of a theory for small state foreign policy analysis. Drawing upon information gathered from primary interviews with foreign policy experts in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, the study shows that unit-level intervening variables do have some influence on foreign policy making at various times and under various conditions. As such, the study demonstrates the utility of neoclassical realism in small state foreign policy analysis.
The radical left in Ukraine since Maidan: the case of the National Anarchist Movement
(Tartu Ülikool, 2019) Wishart, Alexandra; Gomza, Ivan, juhendaja; Aliyev, Huseyn, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
With political fringe groups gaining momentum during the Euromaidan Revolution in 2013, much scholarly attention has been given to actors of the radical right while dynamics by the socalled ‘New Radical Left’ have been ignored. In its past the New Radical Left was striving for cultural hegemony; however, their influence diminished when the movement developed severe ideological cleavages after Euromaidan. With an ideologically divided ‘New Radical Left’ one new group, the ‘National Anarchists’, has entered Ukraine’s political arena with the aim of reappropriating the concepts of Ukrainian nationalism and the idea of an anti-imperial struggle against Russia embodying contemporary Ukrainian society’s internal division on those issues. This research aims to address the ways in which social movements and radical groups can change their political agendas due to shocking and unexpected political events, such as the Euromaidan Revolution in 2013. While political opportunity structures matter, internal dynamics within movements are often stronger indicators for the movement’s political course and path of alliance building. Posing the question of how and why internal cleavages within the pre-Maidan Ukrainian radical left have led to a fragmentation of the movement, this research additionally seeks to address how this dynamic has led to the creation of a new Ukrainian political phenomena - national anarchism. By analyzing how different social movements active on the political fringes of the Ukrainian presidential democratic system operate, this research aims to give insight into the existing political players but also on the ways political communities are built in contemporary Ukraine. As a country undergoing significant political and social transformation, the timeliness of this research cannot be overestimated. With Ukraine pushing for democratic reform, the country experiences the effects of a pro-European alignment with political fringe groups on both sides of the political spectrum striving for visibility. The fact that most scholarly attention is directed at the prominence and dynamics of the Ukraine’s Radical Right, similar patterns on the left remain understudied.
Tactical evolutions of modern Chechen resistance
(Tartu Ülikool, 2023) Chambers, Harold; Mühlfried, Florian, juhendaja; Aliyev, Huseyn, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
After a short-lived victory fighting against Russian rule, Chechnya was again reconquered in 2000. Thus launched the modern Chechen resistance, which has taken on three forms. This study examines how these iterations, the Ichkerian Government-in-Exile, Imarat Kavkaz, and 1ADAT, have evolved. To assess how effectively they have opposed the rule of the Kadyrov regime in Chechnya, this paper adopts the “pillars of power” framework. It concludes that the tactical evolution of the three iterations can at least in part be explained by the effectiveness of targeting the regime’s pillars, as each movement moves away from ineffective tactics of its predecessor.
The value in those you know: dimensions of social capital in COVID-19 vaccination uptake among ethnic and religious minority groups in Georgia
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Segar, Rhiannon; Khalvashi, Tamta, juhendaja; Aliyev, Huseyn, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the diverse roles of information. While the interconnected nature of the globe has seen the rapid transmission of knowledge, disinformation has continued to spread in parallel. This thesis examines COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy through the example of Georgia, a country distinguished by high levels of ‘bonding’ social capital. More specifically, it draws attention to the experience of three minority communities: (1) the Georgian-Azerbaijani community of Kvemo Kartli, (2) the Georgian-Armenian community of Samtskhe-Javakheti, and (3) the Georgian Muslim community of Mountainous Adjara. Georgia’s COVID-19 vaccination process has shed light on the inequalities these marginalised communities face within a nationalising state heavily attached to notions of ‘ethnodoxy’. Consequently, these three communities have each developed strategies of resilience against the COVID-19 pandemic. This thesis examines the relationship between social capital and vaccination uptake via a social-anthropological approach, focusing particular attention on community-level mechanisms. Through doing so, it finds the prevalence of informal networks — characterised by the dual-phenomenon of close in-group ties and out-group mistrust — profoundly impacts attitudes and practices towards vaccine uptake among these communities. In light of persistently low vaccination rates in Georgia, these findings on the reliance on informal networking as a means of obtaining information seek to provide a deeper insight into both the positive and negative outcomes of close-knit bonding ties.
Visegrád countries’ engagement in ASEAN from 2011 and their prospect in the region: the cases of Hungary and Poland
(Tartu Ülikool, 2020) Tubnonghee, Thapanee; Pożarlik, Grzegorz, juhendaja; Aliyev, Huseyn, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Hungary and Poland have addressed Asia-Pacific countries in their foreign policy strategy since the early 2000s. However, the European financial crisis in 2008 and the wave of Euroscepticism have influenced both countries to seek alliances outside their traditional European trade partners. One of their potential partners in the Asia-Pacific is ASEAN, due to its economic and political importance in the region. As EU members, Hungary and Poland have to pursue their engagement with ASEAN with both the national foreign policy strategy based on their domestic interests and under the EU foreign and security policy. The aim of this dissertation is to explain the foreign policy strategy of Hungarian and Polish governments and their achievements in ASEAN from 2011. The findings from national and EU foreign policy analyses reveal that the achievement of both countries in ASEAN is minimal. The reasons are that ASEAN receives low priority to both countries' foreign policy, and both countries lack sufficient understanding of the region. This results in vague national policy direction and modest economic and political engagement. On the other hand, the EU foreign policy strategy includes ASEAN as a strategic partner and engages with it more intensively as a bloc. The Free Trade Agreements with Singapore and Vietnam are among the important milestones of the EU external relations, in which Hungary and Poland shall rely on and show more effective support to increase their visibility in ASEAN.

Sirvi

Sirvi Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (CEERES) – Master’s Theses Autor "Aliyev, Huseyn, juhendaja" järgi