Author: Ahmet Turan
In international relations, the speeches and statements of heads of state and government are among the most significant elements to which great importance is attributed. Due to this characteristic, discourse analysis has become a valuable research method in political science. Teun A. van Dijk, in his seminal work “What is Political Discourse Analysis?” (1998) defines political discourse as “the texts and speeches of professional politicians or political institutions, such as presidents, prime ministers and other members of government, parliaments, or political parties, at both local, national and international levels.” From this perspective, analyzing the discourse of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev…
Kenneth Waltz opens his book Man, the State and War (1959), originally his doctoral thesis, with the following historical observation, “Asking who won a given war, someone has said, is like asking who won the San Francisco earthquake.” The Russian-Ukrainian war, which began in February 2022, serves as a case that supports this proposition even in the 21st century. To explore this further, it is helpful to briefly examine the trajectory of the war, now nearing its third year, before analyzing the events of 2024. Although the “Russian-Ukrainian War 1.0,” which began with the illegal annexation of Crimea in February…
In the final decade of the 20th century, the world transformed into a “global village” with a new global order. During this period, a universally accepted reality became evident: No single country can address the multitude of crises and threats in the world on its own. This recognition has led to the prominence of various alliance mechanisms. In his renowned book “The Origins of Alliances” (1987), Stephen Walt argued that states align themselves not in response to power alone but in reaction to perceived threats. Therefore, it is natural for nations to join alliances whose agendas align with their goals…
The history of the rivalry between the West and Russia in the Caucasus did not begin yesterday, nor is it a phenomenon that can end tomorrow. While this rivalry was called the “Great Game” in the 19th century, it evolved into the “New Great Game” in the 20th century and continues today between Russia and various Western actors. The title of this article, drawn from Ernest Hemingway’s work of the same name, is no coincidence. This rematch in the Caucasus, currently playing out over Georgia, mirrors the one that unfolded over the Karabakh issue in the past. Interestingly, the Russian-West…
In the international relations literature, the combination of the words Russia and the West is always accompanied by a third word: “rivalry.” It was the collapse of the USSR when the international community had the highest hopes that this concept would become a part of history. Those who prepared the Russian Federation, the predecessor of the Soviets, must have had a similar belief, as Georgy Arbatov, one of Gorbachev’s political advisors at the time, announced the collapse of the USSR to the West in the following words: “We will do something very bad to you. We will deprive you of…
Russia’s rivalry with the West in the Caucasus has a historical background beyond current political developments. It may appear to be a striking coincidence that the Caucasus has once again become the stage for the “Great Game” – the long-standing rivalry in international relations – with Russia as one of the key players. However, when Russia’s actions in the Caucasus are examined chronologically, it becomes clear that the notion of a simple coincidence gives way to the reality of a deeply entrenched rivalry between Russia and the West. The battleground: Caucasus The first signs of Russia’s rivalry with the West…