Realism Gone Awry: Analyzing the Corruption of Democracy in Russia
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Political Science
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Michael Lipscomb
Abstract
A brief survey of realist political thought within the context of international relations finds that realism posits that the ultimate mandate of a state’s foreign policy objectives is the protection of its own sovereignty and national interests. However, research reveals that there exists a fault in this logic, due to the failure of realist theorists to define the phrase “national interest” in concrete terms. The lack of explicit parameters to this phrase provides a nearly limitless roster of potential “interests” for a state to pursue, without any guidelines as to what concerns best serve a state’s welfare. This paper finds that this open-ended aspect of realist theory provides for the ultimate failure of democracy within the Russian Federation, due to a lack of international support for domestic liberalization efforts through Mikhail Gorbachev’s plans for perestroika. In exploring this theory, I first provide empirical evidence attesting to the lack of democratic efficacy in the Russian state; then, I present the conflicts present between various interpretations of realist thought, and finally, I examine the historical context via a case study of three interactions between Mikhail Gorbachev and the G7, in which the United States and other members failed to provide for financial assistance. In determining that the failure of domestic reform by the U.S.S.R. proved favorable to assisting in efforts of market liberalization, I find that the strategic interest of rejecting assistance to a state with conflicting interests historically diminished long-term global interests by providing framework that yielded to autocratic Russia.
Honors Thesis Committee
Michael Lipscomb, Ph.D.; Stephen Smith, Ph.D.; Christopher Van Aller, Ph.D.
Course Assignment
Senior Capstone in Political Science, PLSC 490H, Michael Lipscomb and Stephen Smith
Previously Presented/Performed?
Southern Regional Honors Council Conference, Orlando, Florida, March 2016
Start Date
22-4-2016 2:15 PM
End Date
22-4-2016 2:30 PM
Realism Gone Awry: Analyzing the Corruption of Democracy in Russia
West Center,Room 217
A brief survey of realist political thought within the context of international relations finds that realism posits that the ultimate mandate of a state’s foreign policy objectives is the protection of its own sovereignty and national interests. However, research reveals that there exists a fault in this logic, due to the failure of realist theorists to define the phrase “national interest” in concrete terms. The lack of explicit parameters to this phrase provides a nearly limitless roster of potential “interests” for a state to pursue, without any guidelines as to what concerns best serve a state’s welfare. This paper finds that this open-ended aspect of realist theory provides for the ultimate failure of democracy within the Russian Federation, due to a lack of international support for domestic liberalization efforts through Mikhail Gorbachev’s plans for perestroika. In exploring this theory, I first provide empirical evidence attesting to the lack of democratic efficacy in the Russian state; then, I present the conflicts present between various interpretations of realist thought, and finally, I examine the historical context via a case study of three interactions between Mikhail Gorbachev and the G7, in which the United States and other members failed to provide for financial assistance. In determining that the failure of domestic reform by the U.S.S.R. proved favorable to assisting in efforts of market liberalization, I find that the strategic interest of rejecting assistance to a state with conflicting interests historically diminished long-term global interests by providing framework that yielded to autocratic Russia.
