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Journals / GAB Akademi / 2026 / Cilt: 6 Sayı: 1

Reimagining the Russian Self: A Constructivist Approach to Russia’s Foreign Policy Narratives

Rus Benliğini Yeniden Düşünmek: Rusya'nın Dış Politika Anlatılarına İnşacı Bir Yaklaşım

Ata Taha Kuveloğlu(AYDIN ADNAN MENDERES ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-1999-9366
Pages
21–29
Publication Date
2026-06-30
DOI
—
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Finally, this paper contends that Russia’s contemporary foreign policy is inseparable from its evolving self-perception and that narrative construction is pivotal in shaping Russia’s engagement with the international order.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:This article examines how domestic identity contestations have deeply shaped Russian foreign policy since the Soviet Union’s dissolution.
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Key Findings & Data:Rather than viewing Russia’s strategic behavior through purely materialist or realist lenses, the analysis foregrounds the symbolic, ideational, and cultural dimensions that influence state actions.
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Conclusion & Impact:Finally, this paper contends that Russia’s contemporary foreign policy is inseparable from its evolving self-perception and that narrative construction is pivotal in shaping Russia’s engagement with the international order.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2022 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Rusya · Rus Dış Politikası · Kimlik Siyaseti

Abstract

This article examines how domestic identity contestations have deeply shaped Russian foreign policy since the Soviet Union’s dissolution. Rather than viewing Russia’s strategic behavior through purely materialist or realist lenses, the analysis foregrounds the symbolic, ideational, and cultural dimensions that influence state actions. Russia as a custodian of traditional values, a central force within a unique Eurasian civilization, a target of Western Russophobia, and a proponent of a multipolar international system... These narratives serve vital ontological security purposes by providing a coherent and stable sense of self amid what Russian leaders perceive as systemic exclusion and existential threat from the West. The evolution of Russia’s identity from liberal Westernist aspirations in the 1990s to a civilizational, Eurasianist posture in the 2000s has functioned as a cognitive framework through which foreign policy decisions are interpreted and justified. In 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine clearly demonstrated how these identity narratives were mobilized to frame geopolitical actions as defensive and existential rather than expansionist. Finally, this paper contends that Russia’s contemporary foreign policy is inseparable from its evolving self-perception and that narrative construction is pivotal in shaping Russia’s engagement with the international order.

Özet

Bu makale, Sovyetler Birliği’nin dağılması sonrasında içsel kimlik tartışmalarının Rus dış politikasını nasıl derinden şekillendirdiğini incelemektedir. Rusya’nın stratejik davranışını yalnızca materyalist ya da realist yaklaşımlar üzerinden değerlendirmek yerine bu analiz; devlet eylemlerini etkileyen sembolik, düşünsel ve kültürel boyutları ön plana çıkarmaktadır. Rusya’nın geleneksel değerlerin koruyucusu olarak konumlandırılması, özgün bir Avrasya medeniyetinin merkezi gücü olarak tasavvur edilmesi, Batı kaynaklı Rusofobinin hedefi olarak sunulması ve çok kutuplu bir uluslararası sistemin savunucusu olarak tanımlanması... Bu anlatılar, Rus liderliğinin Batı’dan kaynaklanan sistematik dışlanma ve varoluşsal tehdit algısı karşısında tutarlı ve istikrarlı bir benlik anlayışı sağlayarak, hayati ontolojik güvenlik işlevleri görmektedir. Rusya’nın kimliğinin 1990’larda liberal Batıcı eğilimlerden, 2000’lerde medeniyet temelli Avrasyacı bir konuma evrilmesi, dış politika kararlarının yorumlanması ve meşrulaştırılmasında kullanılan bilişsel bir çerçeve işlevi görmüştür. 2022 yılında Rusya’nın Ukrayna’yı işgali, bu kimlik anlatılarının jeopolitik eylemleri yayılmacı olmaktan ziyade savunmacı ve varoluşsal olarak sunmak amacıyla nasıl seferber edildiğini açık biçimde ortaya koymaktadır. Son olarak bu çalışma, Rusya’nın güncel dış politikasının, değişen öz algısından ayrı düşünülemeyeceğini ve bu anlatı inşasının Rusya’nın uluslararası düzenle kurduğu ilişkiyi şekillendirmede belirleyici bir rol oynadığını ileri sürmektedir.

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Cite This Article

Kuveloğlu, A. T. (2026). Reimagining the Russian Self: A Constructivist Approach to Russia’s Foreign Policy Narratives. GAB Akademi, Cilt: 6 Sayı: 1, 21–29. https://ajindex.com/articles/1615172

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