„Mit założycielski” polityki zagranicznej Rosji

Abstract

The breach of commitments happen in international relations, sometimes followed by national narratives of betrayal, created and used as tools of foreign policy and domestic legitimisation. In this kind of narratives, the context, truth, disinformation, emotions and deliberate intents are of equal value for their content. This is how the modern myth of ‘Western betrayal’ – developed by Moscow after the end of the Cold War on the susceptible grounds of Russian and Soviet political tradition – should be understood. It has been the most persistent component of Russian information warfare against NATO and the key argument explaining its foreign policy actions. They are interpreted abroad as aggression, violation of international law or undermining the principles of international order, while domestically being portrayed as driven by purely defensive logic of the state surrounded by enemies responsible for the refusal to recognise Russia’s legitimate rights. This narrative also serves to consolidate Russian society around the state’s leadership.