Wars of Russia: causes, determinants, course and consequences of military combat operations of the Russian Federation in the post-Cold War period

Wars of Russia: causes, determinants, course and consequences of military combat operations of the Russian Federation in the post-Cold War period"

1. Research project objectives

The project will constitute a comprehensive, interdisciplinary analysis of conditions, conducts and consequences of the armed conflicts, in which Russia has been engaged since the end of the Cold War. The main objectives of the project are as follows: an assessment of the role of the use of force in the contemporary Russian foreign policy; an assessment of the specificity of the Russian military combat operations, in particular strategies and means chosen; an assessment of the adequacy of strategies and means chosen during Russian combat operations to pursued objectives and justifying values; an assessment of the level of conformity of Russia’s behavior in military operations with the relevant norms of international law; comparison of the Russian and Western way of making war.

Research will allow testing following hypotheses. First, the use of force and the threat of use of force is an important instrument of the Russian Federation policy, used not only to protect Russia against aggression, but also to defend and enlarge its zone of influence. Second, the military strategy of the Russian Federation largely relies on surprise, deception and non-transparency about its ends and means; such modus operandi increases the chance of military success and limits the political costs of military endeavors. Third, the growing scope and efficiency of the Russian military combat operations is largely due to a major modernization, which the Russian weaponry underwent during last two decades. Fourth, during its military operations, Russia, its proxies and allies systematically disrespect the norms of international law (unlawful use of force, war crimes and crimes against humanity), which contributes to the evolution of international law standards.

2. Research project methodology

The research will be organized in five stages: analysis of historical and present determinants of the Russian military combat operations; analysis of the Russian military combat operations under the rule of Boris Yeltsin (1991-1999); analysis of the Russian military combat operations under the rule of Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev (since 1999); summing up the research and formulating conclusions concerning Russian practice of military combat operations since the end of the Cold War (its reasons, forms, utility and results). Analysis of every case will include studying of historical context of the Russian interventions, causes, justifications and goals of intervention, ideological positions (and their evolution) of the Russian authorities and society, conformity of their actions with relevant international legal norms, mission conduct, preferred and ultimately chosen strategies, methods and means, results of intervention.

3. Contribution to the development of discipline

The project will both offer a complex picture of contemporary military actions of the Russian Federation and show tendencies and trends as far as causes, justifications, objectives, conduct and consequences for international security, stability and legal order are concerned. This innovative research will constitute a unique, original contribution to the studies of international relations (IR), as the topic, although broadly discussed by scholars, has never been studied within such a comprehensive framework and with similar objectives. The project will help to elucidate some fundamental questions in the field, in particular on the role of the use of force in contemporary international relations and on the foreign and security policies of great powers. What is more, it will add to several other disciplines (i.e. international law, sociology), possibly stimulating their development in Poland and elsewhere. The analysis of legal and humanitarian aspects of the Russian military combat operation, in particular the supposed conscious lawlessness of the Russia’s military activities will be a valuable contribution to international law, in particular international criminal law and international studies in human rights, as well as humanitarian studies etc. Additionally, the project could also serve as a basis for formulating the prognoses and recommendations concerning future Russian policies on the use of force and contribute to the development of an adequate response from the West, including Poland.