Authors

Michael Launer¹; Marilyn Young¹;  ¹ Florida State University , United States

Discussion

By far the single most frequent concept that appears in his speeches and writings, “sovereignty” has served varying rhetorical purposes over the years that Vladimir Putin has been in office, focusing at times on his domestic audience and at times on Russia’s place in the world order. This presentation analyzes statements made by Putin in various venues over the twenty-five years during which he has been a prominent figure in Russian politics. We trace the development of four different conceptions of sovereignty as manifested in Putin’s rhetoric. These are:
● The classic definition of sovereignty consisting of border security, independence, and unquestioned authority in one’s domestic affairs ● Cultural identity, creativity, national dignity, and strength of the citizenry and of the nation ● Rejection of all international influence and intervention in the affairs of state—a Westphalian conceptualization specifically opposed to supranationalism and “bloc” identity ● Self-sufficiency economically and technologically
From the standpoint of international relations, however, he has placed the primary emphasis on Russia’s resistance to external influences in a manner that closely resembles the Westphalian model—a term stemming from the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years’ War and which “legitimated the right of sovereigns to govern their peoples free of outside interference,” giving them “powers domestically and independence externally.” (1)
(1) Beaulac, Stéphane. “The Westphalian Model in Defining International Law: Challenging the Myth.” Australian Journal of Legal History 8, no. 2 (2004): 181-214; p. 183. http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AJLH/2004/9.html.