Central Asian Regional Security Complex: the Role of Russia Through the Collective Security Treaty Organization

Abstract

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was created as post-Cold War artefact for Russia. It united the majority of Central Asian countries under the patronage of Russia. Nevertheless, the military organization never participated in real conflicts demonstrating its military ineffectiveness especially during the internal conflicts in Central Asia. Russia, as the strong global power still support such a burden as the CSTO. The puzzle of the thesis was to identify why does Russia commit to the military alliance in Central Asian context if it prioritizes bilateral relations with its regional allies. The thesis uses the concept of Regional Security Complex (RSC) to address the question and analyse the dynamics of Central Asian RSC in the context of Russia’s interests through the CSTO. Thus the mini-case studies of North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Islamic State, as well as critical discourse analysis of speeches of Russian president since 2010, made to identify the patterns of amity and enmity constructed and developed by Russia within the CSTO platform related to Central Asia.