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theses

This dissertation was made possible by a nationally competitive fellowship from IREX. I received six months of financial support from IREX’s Individual Advanced Research Opportunities Program (IARO) that funds policy-relevant research in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia. The fellowship was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and allowed me to conduct field research in Moscow and Kazan between January 2014 and July 2014. I also traveled to Shanghai and Beijing for a total of four weeks to interview Chinese researchers. This fieldwork consisted of archival research and semistructured interviews with policy experts. I use both qualitative and quantitative approaches including a modified Q-analysis to derive findings. The dissertation focuses on analyzing Russia’s motivations for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), an understudied, yet vital, regional organization – the largest in the world. The Russian-Chinese relationship is the fulcrum of a broader membership that includes eighteen other members, notably India and Pakistan. My research specifically addresses the question: “Why does Russia cooperate with China in the SCO given decades of political tensions between Moscow and Beijing?” In order to answer this question, I examine three main explanations for Russian participation in the SCO based on geopolitics, economics, and internal security. My primary hypothesis investigates whether Russia collaborates with China to safeguard itself from Wahhabi-inspired terrorism. My research concludes with theoretical and policy findings in the final chapter. I will briefly recapitulate four main points. First, anti-Americanism has not translated into a decisively anti-American vector for the SCO. Second, Russia’s rapprochement with China is not primarily due to increases in the sale of natural gas and oil. Moreover, Russia interprets China's plans for trade liberalization as an indirect way of controlling Central Asia. Third, Russian cooperation with China in the SCO is most likely due to the threat of terrorism. Based on Russia's ongoing conflict with jihadi terrorism and its belief that Saudi Arabia is the primary source of Wahhabism, it is important that Central Asia not become an area that could fuel terrorism. Fourth, my findings also include the results of a crucial case study that I conducted in city of Kazan. The results of the case study provide a secondary test of the primary argument and confirm that Wahhabism may in fact present a wider challenge to Russia.

ETD_7408

Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references

by Michael D. Zboray

doi:10.7282/T3SN0C9C

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.