Open AccessSouthbound Russia: processes of bordering and de-bordering between 1993 and 2013
Author(s) -
Giulia Prelz Oltramonti
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
connexe
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2673-2750
pISSN - 2406-5749
DOI - 10.5077/journals/connexe.2016.e79
Subject(s) - underpinning , sovereignty , georgian , political science , economic geography , political economy , geopolitics , power (physics) , regional science , sociology , economy , geography , politics , law , economics , linguistics , philosophy , civil engineering , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
This article traces the trajectories of Russia’s projection of its external power in its neighbourhood through the analysis of its bordering and de-bordering practices. It looks specifically at what happened in Abkhazia between 1993 and 2013, focusing on its role in managing the international border along the Psou River and on its impact on the Georgian-Abkhaz ceasefire line along the Inguri River. It argues that, while the appreciation of borders is often limited to symbols of sovereignty, Russia aptly employed bordering and de-bordering practices as policy tools to expand its clout much further than its national external borders. It also illustrates the importance of the implementation component of border regimes. By looking at macro- and micro- dynamics, as well as underlining the gap between official discourse and practice, this article explicates some of the mechanisms underpinning Russia’s cycles of retreat and expansion in the Caucasus.