Honors Theses (Global Studies)

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The Department of Global Studies is formerly known as the Department of International Studies.

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Browsing Honors Theses (Global Studies) by Subject "Operation Sangaris"

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    “Russian Heroes, French Zombies”: Diplomatic Tensions Between Great Powers in the Central African Republic
    (University of Oregon, 2023-06) Wickstrand, Justin
    This honors thesis examines the respective approaches of diplomatic engagement by Russia and France in the Central African Republic (CAR). Given the present competition between great powers on the African continent, much of the current discourse on this topic has a tendency to view this competition as a reemergence of the Cold War struggle over the “Third World,” specifically that which occurred in Africa. This thesis seeks to add to the present discourse by arguing that the notion of a Cold War redux in Africa is a reductionist approach that neglects the domestic priorities that are the veritable catalysts behind Russian and French engagement with Africa, specifically in the Central African Republic. The central aim of this project has been to analyze the motives and modes driving Russian and French engagement with the nation of the Central African Republic. By beginning with the historical background of France and the Soviet Union’s diplomatic engagement with Africa, I contextualize their patterns of diplomatic outreach and posit that the respective foreign policy legacies of the two powers contribute to their ability to act on the African continent today. Following this, I analyze the contemporary modes of engagement by France and Russia in the Central African Republic and evaluate the ways in which this has impacted their bilateral relationships with the CAR. By using a multimedia approach to primary source analysis in both English and French, I have been able to evaluate a wide-range of sources that contribute to the broader understanding of how diplomacy is being conducted on the African continent using the tools of the twenty-first century.