Understanding the Czech Foreign Policy. The Case of the EU Sanctions against the Russian Federation

Abstract

This thesis examines the decision of the Czech Republic on the adoption of the EU sanctions against Russia over Ukraine. The perception of the Czech Republic and its behaviour is perceived ambiguously. For that reason, qualitative analysis of the decision was conducted in order to arrive at the understanding of the Czech position. The author works with a concept of identity based on Social Constructivist and Foreign Policy Analysis scholarship. It is argued that the elite idealistic identity, which is held by a proportion of Czech politicians and official, can be used as a variable in Czech foreign policy and a tool to enhance the understanding of it. The dominance of the elite idealistic identity is not fixed; therefore, the consequences enabling the identity to prevail are also discussed. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)