Fångad Av mitt Eget Jag : Den serbiska identiteten och relationen med Ryssland

This thesis investigates why Serbia continues to maintain a close relationship with Russia despite being in a region where most countries have distanced themselves from Moscow. It argues that Serbia pursues this relationship even though it contradicts Serbia’s apparent material and political interests. Drawing on Brent J. Steele’s version of ontological security theory, the findings of this thesis suggest that Serbia is constrained by the need to uphold its self-identity, leading the country to seek a relationship with Moscow that goes beyond rational and material calculations. Using qualitative content analysis of official documents published by the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this thesis identifies several key self-identity themes. These themes are then applied to the same material to explore the correlation between self-identity and Serbia’s political actions concerning Russia. The analysis reveals several aspects of Serbia’s self-identity that have not been extensively studied in relation to Russia. Furthermore, it shows that Serbia’s relationship with Russia appears to be guided by Belgrade’s own self-identity, rather than solely by a shared identity with Russia. Consequently, this study adds to the existing research by highlighting the influence of Serbia’s internal identity, an element previously overlooked in discussions on the country’s ties with Russia.