Rahvusvaheliste suhete ja regiooni uuringute õppekava magistritööd – Master´s theses

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Browsing Rahvusvaheliste suhete ja regiooni uuringute õppekava magistritööd – Master´s theses by Subject "Abhaasia"

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    Ethnopolitical regimes and state-minority relations: a comparative case study of Abkhazia, Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli in Georgia
    (Tartu Ülikool, 2021) Tappeiner, Julia; Kallas, Kristina, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
    After the collapse of the Soviet Union (SU), recently independent governments with heterogenous populations had to find ways to establish a new political power balance between the ethnic groups. But while some nation-building processes resulted in peaceful ethnopolitical confrontations, other state-minority relations developed into ethnic war and secessionism. This master thesis seeks to explain different outcomes of relationships between a government and its ethnic minorities in the context of ethnopolitics and ethnic conflict. Two variables accounting for ethnic conflict are: exclusion of non-core groups and a high political mobilization of ethnic minorities. Starting from there, this study analyzes when a host-state decides to exclude non-core groups from state power, as well as what factors account for a high political mobilization of an ethnic minority. The mechanisms are deduced from two main theories – the politics of nation-building by Mylonas (2013) and ethnopolitical situations by Pettai (n.d.) – and applied in a few-n comparative study to three Georgian minorities: from the most violent form in Abkhazia to a milder form of unrest of Armenians in Javakheti and finally a case with a very low mobilization potential of Azeris in Kvemo Kartli. The comparative study shows that the decision of a host-state to exclude a minority is influenced by the international alliance-system. The political mobilization and consequently the reaction of a minority group to an exclusionary ethnopolitical regime depends on the resources it has gathered throughout historical processes, including the support of an external ally, grievances or strong social cohesion. The thesis is one of the few studies accounting for the relationship between all three players involved in ethnopolitical relations – the state, the minority and external powers – and for the broader geopolitical context of ethnic power struggles. Hence, this study crucially adds to the ability of understanding the mechanisms of ethnopolitics and conflict. Finally, this thesis is the first study that compares Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli in their differences, contributing to our understanding of nation-building processes and minority behavior in an under-researched part of the post-soviet space.
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    Legitimacy and ethnic politics in de facto states: rhetoric, legislation and reality in Abkhazia and Kosovo
    (Tartu Ülikool, 2018) Drayton, James Robin; Berg, Eiki, juhendaja; Tartu Ülikool. Sotsiaalteaduste valdkond; Tartu Ülikool. Johan Skytte poliitikauuringute instituut
    This thesis investigates three closely related research questions. The first is how de facto states make use of minority rights norms to garner legitimacy on the international stage. The second is how de facto states’ desire for international legitimacy is reflected in legislation relevant to ethnic issues. The third is how the desire for international legitimacy – and the legal framework – actually affects ethnic politics and the situation of minorities. These questions are explored through a two-case comparative study, comparing Kosovo and Abkhazia. Qualitative methods are used to analytically compare the two cases with regards to official rhetoric on the international stage, legislation and the situation on the ground. It is found that in Kosovo minority rights norms have moulded legislation and official rhetoric, but have not penetrated deeply into the actual behaviour of policy-makers and have only yielded modest results on the ground. In Abkhazia it is found that the norms have had some effect on official rhetoric, but little to none on legislation or praxis. In both cases it is observed that international minority rights norms are reinterpreted to fit pre-existing, ethnocentric narratives and then used in legitimation strategies. It is hypothesized that greater international engagement results in rhetoric and legislation that more closely comply with international norms, but that this will only translate into praxis in the presence of material incentives. It is also hypothesized that norms are more likely to be adopted the more compatible they are with pre-existing norms and identities.