عنوان

Nationality identity and foreign policy :

Number

TLets411312

Title Proper

Nationality identity and foreign policy :

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Mole, Richard Charles McKenzie.

Title Proper by Another Author

perceptions of self and other in the post-Soviet international relations of the Baltic States, 1991-1999

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London)

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2003

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Ph.D.

Body granting the degree

London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London)

Text preceding or following the note

2003

Text of Note

The objective of this PhD is to examine the influence of national identity on the postSovietforeign policies of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the period 1991-99. Contraryto the traditional Realist view that external relations and state security are determinedsolely by power, I argue that foreign-policy choices are not the product ofpurely rational considerations but are instead shaped by ideational forces, such ashistorical collective memory and perceptions of self and other. My thesis is based onthe hypothesis that the foreign policy of all states is influenced by national identity.The influence of national identity increases when states are new and political institutionsare thus weak, when there is little social cohesion between ethnic groups andwhen inter-state relations are bilateral and not international; national identity providesa psychological framework within which foreign policy is formulated and implemented,whereby core beliefs set foreign-policy decision-makers along particularpaths and preclude certain options from being considered; national identity influencesforeign policy if the elements of that identity (ethnic group or territory, for instance)are perceived to be under threat and require protection; national identity itselfcan be used as a foreign-policy tool to enhance security by creating a social realitythrough discourse whereby states embed themselves in the global political consciousnessas members of a broader collectivity beyond the control of actual or potentialenemies.To demonstrate this, I examine four foreign-policy issues: the impact of citizenshipand minority rights legislation on relations with Russia and Poland; the withdrawal ofthe troops of the former Soviet Army; the demarcation of the eastern borders of Estoniaand Latvia; and attempts by the three Baltic States to enhance their securitythrough membership of European organisations.

Mole, Richard Charles McKenzie.

London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London)

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y