Constructing threats in the neighbourhood of Russia

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Bendra saugumo ir gynybos politika; Bendra užsienio ir saugumo politika; Regioninis saugumas; Saugumas; Saugumizacija; Common Foreign and Security Policy; Common Security and Defence Policy; Regional safety; Securitisation; Rusija (Russia).

ENThreats both internal and external have a huge influence on public life and political behaviour. Therefore, the understanding of threats is the matter of paramount importance. It is the essential task for scientists and politicians to apprehend how threats are constructed, how they could be explained and when exactly and why threats emerge. Although the nature of the threat matters a lot, the context of it, particularly the regional context, has no less significance in assessing the severity of the threat. The context especially matters for those living in the neighbourhood of a powerful country such as Russia. This paper argues that threats do not exist per se; threat is not a natural phenomenon, but socially constructed one. Therefore, the threat becomes real only then when it is constructed by someone. The central idea of this paper is to showcase the importance of the region in constructing the threats. For this purpose both regional security complex theory and securitisation theory are used. [From the publication]