Date Thesis Awarded

5-2023

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Arts (BA)

Department

Global Studies

Advisor

Daniel Maliniak

Committee Members

Amy Oakes

Alexander Prokhorov

Abstract

The Russian Federation, under the regime of Vladimir Putin, has intervened militarily three times in the post-Soviet space to achieve geopolitical objectives. Central Asian alliance behavior and change in security policies towards Russian military actions in the post-Soviet sphere directly challenge the expectations of traditional international relations theory. In the three instances where the Russian Federation has used military force against a territory of a former Soviet republic, Central Asian states appear to be adopting a new strategy which this paper characterizes as “oppositional neutrality”. As a response to Russia’s use of military force, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan all displayed varying levels of adherence to oppositional neutrality. Through oppositional neutrality, these nations were able to continue to reap the benefits of their relations with Russia while also keeping the avenue of external partnerships open.

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