Suchergebnisse

Decentring the West aims to demonstrate the urgent need to revisit the foundations of the global democratic consensus. By examining the views of democracy that exist in the countries on the semi-periphery of the world system such as Russia, Turkey, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil and China, as well as within the core (Estonia, Denmark and Sweden) the authors emphasize the truly universal significance of democracy, also showing the value of approaching this universality in a critical manner, as a consequence of the hegemonic position of the West in global politics.

Die russische Identitätspolitik und – in einem weiter gefassten Sinne – die Entwicklung des Landes in moderner Zeit sind durch zwei grundlegende Trennungen bestimmt gewesen, und zwar zwischen der Elite des Reiches und der großen Masse der Bauern einerseits, sowie zwischen Russland und Europa andererseits. Die gegenwärtige konservative Wende zielt darauf ab, die innere Trennung zu überwinden, indem die Politik des Staates auf das Massenbewusstsein mit dessen vorgeblicher Bevorzugung »traditioneller Werte« abgestimmt wird. Diese Strategie lässt außer Acht, dass Russland heute eine moderne, urbanisierte Gesellschaft ist. Auf lange Sicht dürfte sie die Anstrengungen des Kreml untergraben, einen Status als Großmacht zu erlangen und auch zu konsolidieren.

Abstract
The annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and the subsequent intervention in Ukraine created a shockwave in the European security system. It suddenly became apparent that certain key rules of international conduct in Europe could no longer be taken for granted. Opponents of Vladimir Putin's Russia in the West, and especially in the Baltic states, immediately put the events in and around Ukraine in the context of previous developments, in particular the 2008 Russian-Georgian war. Their conclusion was that the intervention was part of a long-term plan of imperial expansion, which is going to continue in the nearest future.

Russia can be considered both an empire and a subaltern, a duality reflected in Russian foreign policy, especially its promotion of multipolarity. Voices that claim to speak for the subaltern cannot always be trusted, since they often silence and oppress rather than emancipate and empower others. Adapted from the source document.

Relations between Russia and the Baltic States — the weakest link in the Baltic Rim — have significantly improved since 2000. One of the explanations for this improvement is the fact that in contemporary Russian political discourse national identity is desecuritized. The role of the Baltic states has radically changed: they are no longer considered as an embodiment of the 'false', anti-Russian Europe. However, despite the desecuritization of national identity, security as the model of structuring and governing the 'external' world still dominates political discourse. The preponderance of the war against terrorism as discursive articulation, as well as the modernist nature of President Putin's political project, leads to the marginalization of the Baltic Sea area on the political agenda. Some new departures in Russia's policy as regards the Baltic Sea area are possible, however, once Russia has gone through its election campaign, and the enlargements of NATO and the EU are complete.