The politics of unpredictability

Acc/secession of Crimea and the blurring of international norms

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6255403
AutoresEiki Berg (0000-0002-9845-892X, University of Tartu, autor de correspondencia), Martin Mölder (0000-0002-9701-1771, University of Tartu)
Año2018
Volumen34
Número4
Páginas400-417
Fecha de publicación2018-10-02
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEast European Politics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2159-9165 • E-ISSN: 2159-9173
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/21599165.2018.1497986
OpenAlexW2865955812
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas23

This article focuses on prominent recent episodes where Russia has put sovereignty, the obligation to refrain (O2R) from using force, and self-determination to the test. Most recently in the Crimean context, we see that Russia's systematic instrumental use of these norms does not contest the norms as such, but as their application becomes more contingent and arbitrary, their meaning is nevertheless blurred. We additionally explore how other justifications were applied alongside self-determination, which were all linked to interference in the internal political processes of another state, facilitating secession and incorporating part of the territory of the latter. We introduce the concept of blurring and show how the production of floating signifiers has become Russia's preferred strategy in the international war of interpretations. This politics of unpredictability has led Russia to act in self-defence unilaterally and outside of the framework of the United Nations (UN), going against not only some of its own declared principles while following others, but also further strengthening the discursive gap with the West

Political economy · Political science · Politics · Secession · Sociology · European Union Policy and Governance · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Post-Soviet Geopolitical Dynamics