The role of Islam in Russian foreign policy : A constructivist perspective

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to obtain a deeper and more conclusive understanding of Russia’s public foreign policy with regards to the religious aspect through the research question - What indications for a religious agenda with respect to Islam are expressed in Russian foreign policy as it is presented in the international arena? A Muslim belt with a non-Soviet identity emerged along Russia's southern border after the fall of the Soviet Union. It was thus vital for Russia to define its attitude towards the Islamist threat and included the Islamic factor in its foreign policy. Islamic diplomacy in Russian foreign policy is strongly linked to the security factor. The thesis aims to examine Russia's foreign policy agenda from a religious perspective and conclude whether there is a clear foreign strategy derived from Islamic principles and influences, or if the country’s strategy is strictly pragmatic. The theory used to analyze this phenomenon is constructivism which presumes that (national) identities and interests are socially constructed and, thus, changeable. Content analysis is the designated method since it is considered suitable for discovering patterns in textual material. A coding scheme consisting of four categories derived from constructivism, namely; national interests; identity; actors and; culture, is constructed to distinguish if Islam has any effect on Russian foreign policy. It is concluded that Russian foreign policy agenda has Islamic influences. However, the frequency and strength of several indicators detected in the analysis can be questioned. The results indicated that the social context may have an impact on the foreign policy outcome in terms of religious motivated interests. It was nevertheless determined that this also could be due to a pragmatic strategy that lacks religious influences.