'Down with neocolonialism!' Strategic narrative resurgence and foreign policy preferences in wartime Russia

Abstract

This article explores the narrative dimension of foreign policy, using the resurgence of anti-colonial rhetoric in Russian political discourse since the invasion of Ukraine as a case study. Engaging with the 'narrative turn' in IR and the strategic narratives framework, it proposes to use strategic narratives as a methodological tool to identify the intended effect behind Russian actors' discursive strategies. This approach may facilitate inferences about their foreign policy preferences, in the context of Moscow's aggression, proclaimed efforts to 'de-Westernise' the international order, and reorientation towards the 'Global South'. Empirically, the article draws on content analysis of multiple Russia-related multilingual textual and audiovisual corpora, employing a three-step approach. It first identifies the 'narrators' of Russia's anti-(neo)colonial strategic narrative and its circulation among Russian elites. It then examines how this narrative is widely projected abroad by Russia's ecosystem of information influence, focusing on sub-Saharan Africa. Finally, the analysis identifies three foreign policy motivations suggested by this narrative resurgence: rehabilitating Russia's status by framing its contemporary foreign policy as a continuation of Soviet support for decolonisation; advocating for a 'multipolar', 'post-Western' international order aligned with Russian interests in the 'Global South' countries; and undermining Western norms and policies with a whataboutist perspective.