Honor and Tyranny: A Theoretical Analysis of Contemporary Russia's Objectives in the Middle East.
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- This thesis analyzes contemporary Russian Middle Eastern statecraft, for the purposes of American foreign and national security policy, within the framework of ancient Athenian discourse concerning political philosophy. It lays out its fundamental theoretical assumptions provided classical thought, seeks to define what exactly Putin's regime is on those terms, and then applies that analysis to Russian Near Eastern policy. It posits that, according to these theoretical premises, the basis of politics and political life is ethical, not ideological. Thus grasping the ethical basis of any given political regime is essential to understanding how and why it interacts with other regimes. Provided those assumptions it seeks to determine what the ethical basis of Putin's regime is on classical terms. It determines that in the classical understanding of political life, Putin's regime is a tyranny that justifies its claim to rule by its pursuit of honors, national greatness and victory. It argues that in the classical sense, Putin's is a very particular form of statesmanship. When applied to foreign policy, this inquiry determined that Russia's recent aggressiveness in the Middle East is driven first and foremost by its regime's need to challenge the Post Cold War international system, and specifically, to thwart the reach, influence and policies of the United States. Stated succinctly, Putin's regime regards the Middle East as a theater in which it can effectively discredit the authority of the Post Cold War international system, and specifically, American leadership of it. This analysis argues that this is the preeminent reason that Putin's regime has taken such an interest in the region. In addition to establishing its theoretical bases, this analysis also engages in a historical analysis by drawing a comparison between contemporary Russian Middle Eastern foreign policy, and that of the Soviet Union during the Iran Iraq War. It concludes with a recommendation to US policymakers and officials to regard the intent behind Russian foreign policy in this part of the world as specifically inimical to their interests and their policies.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | June 7, 2017 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Ernst, David |
|---|---|
| Degree granting institution | Stanford Global Studies, Center for Russian Eastern European and Eurasian Studies |
| Advisor | Crews, Robert |
| Advisor | Knezevic, Jovana |
Subjects
| Subject | Center for Russian Eastern European and Eurasian Studies |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University |
| Subject | Putin |
| Subject | Russia |
| Subject | Middle East |
| Subject | Iran Iraq War |
| Subject | Political Philosophy |
| Subject | Plato |
| Subject | Aristotle |
| Subject | Thucydides |
| Subject | Xenophon |
| Subject | National Security |
| Subject | American Foreign Policy |
| Subject | Middle East |
| Subject | Global Studies |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
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- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Ernst, David . (06/0). Honor and Tyranny: A Theoretical Analysis of Contemporary Russia's Objectives in the Middle East. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/dh999zv8211
Collection
Stanford Global Studies Graduate Theses
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- dernst90@gmail.com
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