Russia's neo-imperialist ambitions: Analysis of the foreign policy towards Georgia

Abstract

The Caucasus, dubbed "the Eurasian Balkans" by Zbigniew Brzezinski, or "the near abroad" (bližnee zarubež'e) by the Russians, is both a region of strategic interest for Russia, and a space where the Russian foreign policymaking was clearly manifested, Russia's main goal being to establish regional dominance and discourage the Western influence in the region. Using comparative and content analysis and relying on the theory of offensive structural realism, the paper will discuss the foreign policy of the Russian Federation towards Georgia in the years after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Analysing the case studies of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the paper seeks to show how Russia's neo-imperial foreign policy has been shaped, and how Russia's foreign policy has shifted in accordance with the part of the Caucasus involved in the conflict and the degree of anti-Russian influence in it. The results show that Russia carefully created the conditions and chose the moment to use the conflict, i.e., the secession on the Georgian soil, to position itself as a regional hegemon.