Russia’s Sovereignty and Emergence of Pragmatic Polycentrism

Abstract

The article researches Russia’s concept of comprehensive sovereignty that is a cornerstone of the official state paradigm. Sovereignty is analyzed in its internal as well as external dimension, both synchronically and diachronically. The concept is interconnected with national security expanding into different realms. Sovereignty-based securitization tendencies are examined through methods of discursive analysis based upon constructivist assumptions. The present study puts emphasis on conceptual constructions and discursive practices significantly affecting individual perceptions, interpretation and Weltanschauung of political leadership as a whole, thereby shaping behavior, strategies and policies of individual actors concerned. The analysis reveals an affinity between concepts and discursive practices of the actors included in the research – Russia, the United States, China, and the European Union. It manifests itself in the concepts of comprehensive sovereignty, America First, dual circulation, and strategic autonomy respectively. These strategies are examined in relation to the transformation of the global order from US-led hegemonism towards polycentrism. The author draws attention to the interactions within the “quadrilateral” consisting of Russia, China, the EU and the US in order to demonstrate the emergence and dynamics of autonomization or regionalization, which is to be regarded as a dialectical moment in the globalization process towards glocalization and pragmatic polycentrism. The author concludes that the EU’s strategic autonomy is a positive feature, but requires the abandonment of Euro-Atlanticism, which thwarts restructuring the Eurasian macroregion in general, and settling Russia-Europe relations in particular.