Browsing by Author "Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja"

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2017 Catalan independence referendum: the projection of Russian strategic narratives by RT and Sputnik
(Tartu Ülikool, 2018) Voltri, Johannes; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Sazonov, Vladimir, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
During the recent years, Russia has been accused in meddling in the internal affairs of Western countries on several occasions. Claims of Russian information campaign have also surfaced related to the Catalan independence referendum, held on 1 October 2017. Although there have been some analyses the author is not aware of any wider academic research examining Russian information activity related to the referendum. The aim of the thesis was to identify the strategic narratives that Russia disseminated to the English-language audience in relation to the Catalan independence referendum, and connect them with broader Russian foreign policy interests. The author, inter alia, seek to ascertain why Russia was interested in Catalonia in the first place and how it is used various communicative tools to achieve its goals. The author set a hypothesis that Russia was taking advantage of the events in Catalonia to enfeeble the European Union. To test the hypothesis the author conducted a poststructuralist discourse analysis on the content of Sputnik and RT that was published between 1 September and 31 October 2017. Apart from the news articles, television coverage of RT was also analysed. The coverage was viewed through the prism of the strategic narratives theory by Miskimmon, O’Loughlin and Roselle in connexion with the discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe. The author ascertained that the tense and at times violent conflict in Catalonia gave Russia a pretext to amplify the tensions and direct the coverage towards the European Union. Russia first argued for the intervention of the EU to give the conflict an international dimension. As the EU remained a bystander, Russia actively projected an identity narrative of the EU as hypocritical and not living up to the democratic values it serves to epitomise. EU was shown in decay and in the process of disintegration with an intent to weaken the West’s hegemony and by doing this strive for a multilateral world order where the role of Russia would be increased. The hypothesis was thus confirmed. The work contributes to the wider efforts of elucidating the range and technique of Russian information activities and demonstrates that Russia has vested interest not only in its close neighbourhood but also further away where it is not and active player itself.
Analyzing anti-homosexual legal act as a tool of limitation: case study of Russia
(Tartu Ülikool, 2015) Lipovski, Dmitri; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Euroopa Kolledž
This thesis aims to analyze the situation of the LGBT minorities in Russia and establishing the reasons and consiquences of limiting their activities and fundamental rights through the adopted anti-propaganda legal act “On protection of children from information that promotes the negation of traditional family values”. The legal act in turn will be analyzed for determining its nescessity and proportionality as well as its conformity to Russian legislation and the International human rights instruments. By these means the research will be held on the grounds of case-study research as the focus is concentrated on the analysis of a specific event (adoption of the anti-propaganda legal act as object and the legal act as a subject). For research purposes the case will be examined through the anti-propaganda legal act itself together with international instruments on protection of human rights, academic articles from scholars and reports from NGO‟s will be additionally included to the research and analyzed in order to determine how the legal act is perceived in Russia and what arguments are used concerning the topic of inconsistency of the adopted anti-propaganda legal act.
Anti-intellectual political rhetoric: a grounded theory on twitter echo chambers
(Tartu Ülikool, 2018) Meyer, Stefan L.; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
BACKGROUND: Separating the pursuit of knowledge and scientific endeavors from politics is impossible. Through the advancement of technology, especially social media, it has become easier for politicians to dismiss science and intellectuals through anti-intellectual rhetoric at an unprecedented rate. Critical thinking in analyzing policies is discouraged and dismissed in favor of uncritical common sense. OBJECTIVE: This thesis sets out to explore how political anti-intellectual rhetoric is spread by politicians in the US and UK through social media, specifically Twitter. METHODOLOGY: This study applies a Mixed Methods-Grounded Theory approach to develop an emergent theory on anti-intellectualism in political tweets grounded in data. The data analyzed was taken from ten members of parliament in the United Kingdom and 11 politicians in the United States. A total of approx. 50,000 tweets were included in the raw dataset. The data was analyzed and sorted using CAQDAS as well as manual coding methods. FINDINGS: Through empirical analysis of the data the study found that politicians who tweet anti-intellectual tweets will disengage from the Twitter conversation afterward. However, Twitter’s method of displaying Twitter replies increases the probability of supporters seeing the message and multiplying it through an echo chamber. JUSTIFICATION FOR THEORY: The theory is grounded in the data presented in this thesis. Data was collected until further analysis resulted in theoretical saturation and failing to reject the emergent theory. IMPLICATIONS: As the politician has disengaged from the conversation, he or she can reject responsibility for the conversations that follow their tweet. In this manner a tweet that makes an uncritical claim can be morphed into a fully anti-science narrative through the echo chamber without the politician’s further involvement.
Authoritarian learning and diffusion: protests in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2022
(Tartu Ülikool, 2023) Aisarina, Zhibek; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
In this thesis I study the authoritarian learning and authoritarian diffusion processes that served as a basis for some of the repressive measures taken by Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in response to mass protests in 2022. The thesis attempts to address the question as to ‘whether different types of authoritarian regimes are more amenable to learning or learn in different ways’ (Hall and Ambrosio 2017,154). It focuses on authoritarian regimes specifically in Central Asia. This study uses process tracing and content analysis in order to analyze the diffusion and learning mechanisms during and in the aftermath of the mass protests. I formulate 2 mechanisms for learning and diffusion that are not mutually exclusive and usually go in parallel in the Central Asian context. I analyze newspaper articles from news media outlets such as Radio Liberty Kazakh and Uzbek Services, Eurasianet, and Gazeta.uz. In addition, I analyze citizen journalism source, Youtube channel БАСЕ to make the process tracing more accurate. My findings are 1. Authoritarian learning and diffusion processes go in parallel, mostly diffusion framing authoritarian learning processes in Central Asia. 2. Kazakh and Uzbek regimes engage in authoritarian diffusion by initially framing mass protests as of socio-economic nature and instantly switching to framing them as a disorder organized by terrorists. 3. Diffusion process within the regional security organization (CSTO) context is more nuanced and needs to fit into the objective of fighting three evils: extremism, separatism, and terrorism. 4. Kazakh and Uzbek regimes engage in authoritarian learning when they base their calculations on when to switch to a terrorist threat narrative on the previous learning success or failure cases. 5. Kazakh and Uzbek regimes engage in learning from each other and domestic learning.
Bordering and de-bordering: the Russian speaking community in Estonia
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Siva, Sami; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Terry, George Spencer, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The Purpose of this MA thesis is to explain the nuances between those communities that live along the borders of Estonia & Russia and Estonia & Latvia. The connecting thread between these communities is that they are divided by the international borders and yet share family and/or cultural ties across the border. Moreover, they are different in the ways in which they are integrated into the Estonian socio-cultural milieu. Therefore, this research aims to explain the difference between these communities and how nuances in bordering and de-bordering practices of these communities influence the security narratives of Estonia. Methodology of this work is grounded on an ethnographic study of these communities using photographs and text as research material. I use visual autoethnographic studies, which is entrenched in the positionality of the researcher (Bleiker, 2019) as a participant and a witness and thus explain things that are unseen. Photographs from the fieldwork are used in conjunction with the words of the members of the community. Therefore, from a methodological perspective, in this study, I aim to explore the possibilities of using photographs in political science research. From a conceptual standpoint, in this thesis I utilize three different pillars: social constructivism, hegemony, and cultural semiotics to analyze the empirical data - interviews and photographs - obtained from the fieldwork to explain the nuances in social-cultural practices of these communities situated on the borderlands of Estonia.
Bringing others into line: discourse on the roles within the Russian opposition - a regional glance
(Tartu Ülikool, 2020) Rudnik, Filip; Golubin, Roman, juhendaja; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The theoretical scholarship differentiating between various types of opposition entities, coined originally in the West, was successfully applied to the Russian political habitat. Known mostly as the ‘non-/systemic opposition’ cleavage, the given categorization is being employed by both punditry and academia. This research aims to add the practical perspective on the subject. Although the differentiation is solidly present within the political discourse, it remains not clear how the engaged actors – politicians, activists, scientists – make sense of it. The thesis analyses 14 in-depth interviews with public figures from Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. The non-/systemic categorization in given study is perceived through the post-structuralist lens as the cleavage operates within the political discourse and it is exercised as a political tool. By analysing the way in which the discourse is operated, the goal of the research is not only to define what constitutes the categories but also on the means of political fight connected to it. The cleavage is perceived as a tool to include/exclude, a source of identity and therefore a point of potential resistance. Among the pre-existing variables driving the categorization, the study finds that within the Russian depoliticized habitat factors such as ideology, perception on the past and employed political tools do not determine the political player’s place on the discussed matrix. The thesis reveals that the uniting factor for all the non-systemic forces lays in the approach towards the existing system. Additionally, due to the employed post-structuralist theoretical framework, the contribution reveals the political science vocabulary’s impact on public life. The findings hopefully indicate usefulness of the discursive analysis of the politicised language as it might answer questions on how the political challengers try to exercise their limited power within a skewed political field.
Case studies of recent Russian aggressive actions in Ukraine, Russian security-related acts in Estonia, and a discourse analysis of the effects Russian aggression in Ukraine have had on Estonian discourses and policy
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Beall, William Henry Klihr; Wilson, Andrew, juhendaja; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This master’s thesis explores gaps in research regarding the effects Russian aggression in Ukraine have had on high-level Estonian political and security discourses, and in effect, policy. Furthermore, the recent full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its effects on Estonia were examined in detail. One of the striking discoveries of this thesis was that Estonia, even though it is a small country, is particularly assertive regarding its neighbour Russia when it comes to security issues, as Estonia is fully aware that they could lose their democratic society if they are Russia’s next target after Ukraine. The aim of the thesis was not only to evaluate Russian aggression in Ukraine, and Russian-Estonian security problems, but also to understand the effects Russian aggression in Ukraine have had on Estonia. These effects were found in publicly available discourse of high level Estonian political figures and Estonian defence documents, that others have not yet analysed, and a direct correlation was seen between Russian aggression in Ukraine and changes to Estonian security policy. Furthermore, these events sparked debate in Estonia on how to deter Russian aggression. While exploring George F. Kennan’s famous theory of containment, striking similarities were found between the political culture of Soviet Russia and Putin’s regime. Furthermore, Kennan’s containment theory was found to remain relevant, as Estonia today has also encouraged a policy of containing Russia by encouraging cooperation with allies, the applying of sanctions to deter negative behaviour by Russia, adjusting Estonian security policies, and inviting NATO contingents on Estonian soil.
“The Caucasian chalk circle”: Georgia’s self at the East/West nexus
(2020-09-18) Kakabadze, Shota; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Mälksoo, Maria, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond
See väitekiri käsitleb rahvusliku identiteedi ja välispoliitika vahelist suhet Euroopa Liidu ja Venemaa vahele jäävates riikides. Uurimistöö lähtepunktiks on sedastus, et Euroopa Liidu poolt naabruskonnas elluviidavate erinevate poliitiliste projektide osas esineb asümmeetria Euroopa Liidu enda ootuste ning sihtriikide poliitiliste eliitide ootuste vahel. Gruusia juhtumiuuring heidab valgust “limbole”, milles need naaberriigid eksisteerivad: ühelt poolt toob idapartnerlus koos assotsieerimislepingu ja põhjaliku ning laiaulatusliku vabakaubanduspiirkonnaga Gruusia läbi mitmesuguste õiguslike ning tururegulatsioonide ELi standarditele lähemale. Teisalt ei paku ükski nendest projektidest otseseid Euroopa Liiduga liitumise väljavaateid, jättes partnerriigid alalisse „jõudmise“ seisundisse. Seda faasi on kontseptualiseeritud liminaalsusena ning väitekirjas rakendatakse diskursusteooriad koos stigmatiseerimise kontseptsiooniga, uurimaks diskursiivseid konstruktsioone ametlikes dokumentides, kõnedes ja meediaväljaannetes. Analüütilistel eesmärkidel on mitmed paralleelsed diskursused väitekirjas konsolideeritud kaheks põhitüübiks: dominante (läänemeelne) ja sellele vastanduv rahvuslik identiteedikontseptsioon. Domineeriv kontseptsioon konstrueerib Gruusiat osana Euroopa perest, vastandades Euroopat „orientaalsele“ ja „barbaarsele“ Venemaale ning sidudes seeläbi Gruusia välispoliitika tsivilisatsioonilise narratiiviga. Vastanduv artikulatsioon aga käsitleb Gruusiat ida/lääne neksuses paiknevana ja defineerib seetõttu domineerivast diskursusest erinevalt nii Euroopat, kristlust kui sovetlikku minevikku, mis väljendub omakorda teistsuguses välispoliitilises agendas.
Civil society against stately cybercontrol: the case of Russia
(Tartu Ülikool, 2022) Maksimova, Mariia; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Fróis, Catarina, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This thesis investigates the Russian liberal civil society – a part of the Russian civil society that strives for a domestic socio-political change, democratization and liberalization of the current order – in cyberspace, where it must battle growing pressure from the state, seeking to control all dissent. I hypothesize that in its reaction to the stately cybercontrol, the liberal civil society develops cybersecurity practices that make it more potent and allow for a counteraction against the state. Hence, I use in-depth expert interviews and focus groups with representatives of the liberal civil society to collect the data for qualitative content analysis to analyze the research question. As a result, the thesis discovers a wide range of societal cybersecurity practices beyond defensive actions to include resistant components. Hence, I conclude that the Russian liberal civil society, although experiencing significant pressure that hinders its efficiency, can fight off the state’s attacks on it and continues to develop itself. The results of this study could be of value for viewing Russia not as a singular actor but as a context in which liberal powers are struggling against the authoritarian regime.
Constructing parallel worlds: comparative discourse analysis of the Union State of Russia and Belarus
(Tartu Ülikool, 2023) Etsadashvili, Irakli; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The sphere of integration in the post-Soviet space, especially between Russian and Belarus, has always been viewed and studied through the practical prism, making an emphasis on the sides’ instrumental motives. Despite several attempts (Klinke 2008; Słowikowski 2022), the discursive side of post-Soviet integration efforts remains largely under-researched, whereas European integration remains one of the most prolific areas of poststructuralist discourse analysis application to IR discipline. The study applies Laclau’s poststructuralist discourse theory with its related ontology to the case of Minsk and Moscow’s attempt to unify within the Union State in the early 2000s. The thesis delves into the ways the sides were articulating their understandings of the Union State, as well as into the final products of such discursive practices. The study finds that in the early 2000s Minsk and Moscow discursively formed completely different, and often mutually exclusive, visions of unification within the Union State along all four of its axes: political, economic, energy, and monetary. Each other’s discursive structures were viewed as a radical ‘Other,’ threatening the ‘Self’s’ identity within the (future) Union State. Neither side’s discourse did not manage to hegemonize the social sphere, and become universally valid, thus foredooming the project's chances of success. This study is important as one of the first (if not the first) attempts to apply poststructuralist discourse analysis to the sphere of post-Soviet integration, thus opening up many other possibilities in this field of study.
The contemporary development of the concept of the twin cities: the case of cross-border cooperation between Narva and Ivangorad
(Tartu Ülikool, 2016) Tambi, Sergei; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The post-World War Two period witnessed an intensive development of such a form of international cooperation as twin cities. Stronger and more intensive cooperation between borderland municipalities of neighboring states was possible due to the realization of the fact that thanks to this integration instrument it was possible to jointly overcome crisis laden situations and phenomena. The common cultural and historical heritage maintained through this instrument contributes to normalization and thriving of border areas of states. This process is of special importance for those borders which are located between Russia and European Union and/or NATO member states. This Master’s thesis considers the role of local governments in creating the points of contact between the twin cities which stimulate in their turn larger networks of contacts at different levels. It also shows how the theory of securitization (without which it is impossible to imagine a Conception of twin cities) makes an impact on relations between border municipalities. I have considered the case of Narva and Ivangorod as twin cities, which currently have achieved impressive results in developing a long term and sustainable model of cooperation. In order to support the evidential base of my paper, I consider two other pairs of twin cities, which are located in situation similar to that of Narva and Ivangorod, specifically Imatra-Svetogorsk and Kirkeness- Nikel. The process of securitization which permeates the level of both bilateral relations (Estonia – Russia), NATO – Russia and EU-Russia levels, when reaching the inter-municipal level, bеcomes weaker and damped as if there is a “safety bag”. At the lowest level (considering the Narva-Ivangorod case), we see the detailed, preplanned cooperation, several bilateral agreements signed, visits of officials, preconditioned by the joint municipal agenda, spontaneous meetings, which are the catalysts of forming a bilateral inter-municipal cooperation. The thesis tries to prove conclusively that NATO, the EU and Estonia (on the one hand) and Russia (on the other hand) are quite interested in securing their state border safe and peaceful. Thus, in contrast to the “top power” level, at a lower (inter-municipal) level, the relations between Narva and Ivangorod have been in the desecuritized status despite the attempts made by the central governments of the states of concern and international organizations involved as well as other actors to “heat up” the situation at the both sides of the Narva river. The non-traditional actors such as the city twins (border adjacent municipalities) represent an actors in the international relations, together with the states, transnational corporations, international governmental and nongovernmental organizations. The mutual relations between Narva and Ivangorod are in contrast to the relations between NATO and Russia, the EU and Russia, Estonia and Russia.
The contestation of hegemonic discourse through new media. The 2020 Belarusian protests
(Tartu Ülikool, 2021) Vali, Fidan; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Kazharski, Aliaksei, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The study examines how the Belarusian opposition challenges the official discourse of Lukashenka in Telegram and simultaneously analyzes the role of new media in this process. It argues that the discourse of Lukashenka has achieved hegemony by appealing to the population through the adaptation of the Soviet ideology and through coercion, which has led to the emergence of unsatisfied societal demands, which have been analyzed in the first part of the thesis within the context of Lukashenka’s discourse. Unsatisfied demands become obvious as a result of a crisis, which, in this study is the 2020 presidential elections and the subsequent protests. In the absence of platforms through which those demands can be articulated, contestation of any hegemony becomes problematic. This was the reason for focusing on virtual environment, as, apart from high-technology solutions circumventing the governmental restrictions, it offers the opposition the much-needed freedom for articulating its demands and for displacing the existing hegemony. Apart from examining the role of new media, the main research question of the thesis is: How the contestation of hegemonic discourse of Lukashenka is being articulated and organized in new media? One of the main findings is the documentation of the demand for the reestablishment of the national identity and reconciliation with European roots. This has also led to discreditation of the elements of the Soviet legacy propagated by the official discourse. Apart from challenging the Soviet ideology, the opposition has also contested the disciplinary function of the regime, which streamlines the conduct of individuals and serves as a regime legitimizer. The second part of the analysis has focused on this aspect from the perspective of contesting brutalities committed by law enforcement officers. The last part of the thesis has examined whether the disciplinary function of the regime, manifesting itself in the form of patriarchal rhetoric in respect to women, has been challenged. Despite the initial expectations to find the elements of female empowerment, it has been found out that the patriarchal values propagated by the regime have largely remained unchallenged and that articulation of elements of female emancipation falls under the general logic of fighting against violence and oppression of the nation’s will for self-determination. This, nevertheless, significantly undermines the propagated image of the “caring state” and the masculine Sovereign praising women, although, within the context of communal attributes ascribed to them.
Could effective usage of social media increase soft power of the small states? Estonia`s example
(Tartu Ülikool, 2015) Naggel, Martin; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaal- ja haridusteaduskond; Tartu Ülikool. Riigiteaduste instituut
This thesis seeks to draw attention to the changing nature of power and diplomacy in the age of increasingly networked and digitalised society of 21st century. Having a large army of soldiers and tanks could help to win a battle, but in order to be the winner in a war there must be other capabilities as well. Moreover, some smaller states do not have an opportunity to spend enormous resources on military – they have to find other ways to achieve their foreign policy goals. Today the battlefield is located inside people`s heads – the ability to attract and influence is crucial for achieving desired outcomes. After giving an overview about different facets of power the discussion continues with the examination of how the soft form of power could be made to work in reality. The author argues that the most fundamental aspect of this is proper communication with the focus on digital diplomacy – using digital tools (like social media) for engaging with foreign audiences and making public diplomacy. The main conclusion from theoretical part is that states which are ready to face these new challenges are most probably more successful in reaching their foreign policy objectives in the near and long future. In other words, digital diplomacy and effective communication are crucial steps for small states in turning soft power resources into actual influence. Empirical part of the thesis concentrates on a small state that could be considered a digital success story, namely Estonia. Analysing the usage of social media by Estonian foreign policy actors, the thesis seeks to point out how active and successful these actors have been in using social media for digital diplomacy and for engaging with foreign audiences. The results suggest that while there are some positive examples among these actors, there are also many shortcomings – some actors still seem not to understand the growing importance of digital diplomacy nor they do not make the most use of the opportunities social media offers. The thesis concludes with the Estonian case studies on digital diplomacy and with the discussion on potential benefits that using social media could bring with – like countering Russian propaganda and ensuring the coherence in Estonian society.
Countering Lukashenka’s authoritarian regime: the strategies of the Belarusian diaspora
(Tartu Ülikool, 2023) Potsepp, Kristel Birgit; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Braghiroli, Stefano, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
This Master’s thesis intends to research the ways in which the Belarusian diaspora is countering Lukashenka’s authoritarian regime. After the fraudulent presidential elections and protests in 2020, the majority of the country’s civil society has fled the country and the events of 2020 led to a new wave of politicised diaspora. To study the case, this research uses qualitative methods and process tracing. The sample consists of nine interviews: seven interviews with members of the Belarusian diaspora, one interview with a foreign affairs expert/diplomat and one interview with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. The analysis is based on five main themes that emerged from the theoretical framework and literature review. The results of this study show that the diaspora is using three main strategies in countering the authoritarian regime: a) raising awareness and bringing attention to the cause; b) policy-making and lobbying; and c) supporting the Belarusians and political prisoners. Furthermore, the role of utilising the ICTs is crucial in supporting the activities of the diaspora and they are used as a ‘liberation tool’. The main functions of the ICTs are a) communication tool amongst the diaspora and people living in Belarus; b) source of news and media awareness; and c) mobilisation tool. As a practical outcome, I have developed policy recommendations for Estonia and the EU based on the empirical findings of the thesis.
Country branding as a way to increase country’s international importance and the brand of Estonia
(Tartu Ülikool, 2016) Otsmaa, Sten-Arne; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
The aim of this thesis is to study how a small state can increase its influence in the international relations by branding itself. The thesis is studying the case of Estonia and analyses Estonia’s brand’s reach in the United Kingdom and Germany through two large events taking place in Estonia – Tallinn Music Week and Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. This thesis analyses relevant literature on country branding, but as well how branding is related to country’s cultural diplomacy and public diplomacy and how those benefit the country’s soft power. The study found that the brand of Estonia creates average associations between the events taking place in Estonia and the brand of Estonia, because it appeared that the brand of Estonia is successful linking together some keywords, but unsuccessful to associate more specific or more defining aspects of Estonia to events. The importance of this thesis and study is that on the one hand it provides analysis of relevant literature and explains the importance of country branding in the today’s international relations, but on the other hand demonstrates brand’s ability to promote country and provides the study on the case of Estonia.
COVID-19: How does the Estonian government stimulate and use the idea of social responsibility?
(Tartu Ülikool, 2021) Kolessova, Anna-Maria; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
In light of recent events regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, social responsibility has become a relevant topic in political discussions. This thesis examines the ways in which states can use their citizens’ sense of social responsibility while handling the COVID-19 crisis, using the example of Estonia. The research describes the implemented measures, recommendations that were given and the respective reaction of institutions during the first wave of coronavirus by conducting a discourse analysis. The findings indicate the importance of cooperation between the state and the people. The government stimulates cooperation by promoting responsibility through raising awareness, public announcements addressing the nation and social campaigns. In response to that, institutions and people make responsible choices and behave accordingly. However, it is up to institutions to define what constitutes responsible choices. As a result, public debate finds that the line between reasonable and unjustified measures remains unclear and this uncertainty is reflected in the strategies of institutions. Responsibilization of citizens is a major part of the strategy developed by the Estonian government which makes overcoming the pandemic possible.
Differing perspectives on military partnership: understanding the NATO-Ukraine Enhanced Opportunities Partnership (EOP)
(Tartu Ülikool, 2023) Tisshaw, Cameron William; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Demyanchuk, Oleksandr, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has brought significant attention to the relationship between NATO and Ukraine as well as the prospect of Ukraine joining the alliance. Ukraine’s continued defiance against Russian aggression and interoperability with NATO has translated into battlefield successes against Russia’s ongoing invasion, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirming that NATO membership remains a key priority. As the official partnership agreement between NATO and Ukraine, the Enhanced Opportunities Partnership (EOP) has grown in relevance for aiding Ukraine in its goal of becoming a NATO member. However, the existence of the NATO-Ukraine EOP presents a research puzzle given that Ukraine’s goal with NATO is membership and there is possible military utility for NATO to instead extend membership to Ukraine. As the first academic study on the NATO-Ukraine EOP, this thesis aims to address this research puzzle using discourse analysis and semi-structured interviews for understanding the differing perspectives that NATO and Ukraine have on the EOP. In analyzing the NATO-Ukraine EOP, the thesis provides an explanation for why the NATO-Ukraine EOP exists and how it has been implemented since its creation in June 2020.
Discourses and emotions in narration of the annexation of Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation
(Tartu Ülikool, 2015) Remizov, Oleg; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaal- ja haridusteaduskond; Tartu Ülikool. Riigiteaduste instituut
The aim of this thesis is to analyze how the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation is narrated in the leading political discourse and media discourse. This is done by examining two main cases that represent the discourses, a political speech of president Putin and a documentary film by Andrey Kondrashov, through the encoding/decoding model of Stuart Hall. The thesis first identifies the relevant theoretical stances that explain how using the approach of cultural studies helps to analyze images, texts and emotions in politics. The thesis then offers an overview of the Russian case, highlighting the main motives behind the annexation of Crimea and meaning of Crimea for the Russian identity. This is later followed by the analysis of the speech and the documentary. Since the approach of Stuart Hall only identifies the types of encodings and decodings, this thesis seeks to add an additional analysis to the encoded and decoded messages, by identifying narratives and emotions used by the leading political and media discourse. The thesis found that a certain set of narratives and emotions were used by both discourses in explaining the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. These narratives were quite similar to one another, almost constituting an overlap of the discourses. In order to strengthen the messages, both the speech and the documentary were encoded with strong moral emotions that in turn caused emotional responses at the stage of decoding. The reaction of the audience, hence the decoding stage, was observed via comments in social media, news articles and the blogosphere. The results showed that most of the audience interpreted the messages in a dominant-hegemonic key, thus agreeing with the essence of the proposed messages. The encoded narratives were clearly embraced and empowered by the public. Those narratives containing strong moral emotions got mirrored more often by the audience, thus stressing the power of emotions in delivering messages.
Europe in conflict – an analysis of European discourses in light of the Ukrainian crisis
(Tartu Ülikooli Euroopa kolledž, 2015) Mändre, Charis; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja
The main goal of this thesis is to create understanding on how the EU sees the events in Ukraine and creates itself through the articulation of a self and other. This official discourse, articulated through the readings of EU political elite, is seen as hegemonic and discourses radically opposing it as counter-hegemonic discourses. To achieve this a poststructuralist approach to discourse, language and identity is adopted. The results of the analysis show that by the official discourse, the events in Ukraine are depicted in a way as to offer legitimacy for the EU and the values underpinning it. At the same time these events are seen as threat to the very idea of Europe. Within the official discourse, the identity of the EU is created through a linking to the values underpinning the Union and though a differentiation from Russia. Meanwhile the counter-hegemonic discourses were both very similar in the way in which they viewed Europe, Russia and the events in Ukraine constructing a radically different identity for Europe. The findings of this comparative analysis stretch far beyond the discourses emanated from the actors analysed. They are illustrative of deep splits within EU identity, with Ukraine being one of catalysts. It is possible to further research the identity construction and antagonisms in the EU though other topics, such as accepting refugees from Africa, or by choosing other actors, such as far-left political parties, leaders of member states, or by adopting different research methods, such as Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis.
European Capital of Culture in postsocialist cities: in search of Europe
(Tartu Ülikool, 2020) Buldakova, Uliana; Makarychev, Andrey, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
“European Capital of Culture” (ECoC) is an initiative of the EU, established with a purpose to promote a Pan-European culture and stimulate urban development. In this thesis, the ECOC is considered as a platform for dialogue between cities and the EU, through which meanings of Europe is produced. In the context of the growing territorialization of European identity and reinforcement of the internal East-West divide, caused by the growth of national sovereignty and illiberal movements in some countries of the CEE, the importance of cross-national zones of European identity increases. This thesis argues that through the ECoC events postsocialist cities from the CEE construct postnational spaces of European identity and provide alternative to nation states images of Central and Eastern Europe. Through the lens of poststructutalist discourse theory, the analysis shows how eight postsocialist cities with the ECoC title construct Europe in their bid books, and how they contribute to the debates about meaning of Europe, upgrading their urban identities at the level of the EU.