Russia and Europe’s Borders: Evolution of Parliamentary Discourse between 2004 and 2017

The negotiable borders of the European continent play a major role in institutional developments of the European Union: its enlargements, the definition of its foreign policy, the exit of the United Kingdom from the Union, and contestation of European integration across its member states. These developments involve defining what Europe is and who belongs to it, often by contrast with those who differ – geographically (Asia, Africa, Middle East), politically (authoritarian, oligarchic), or in terms of identity (the East, the Other). Recently, probably all these markers of otherness have been associated with Russia, making it foreign to Europe in most respects, but also indispensable for the definition of Europe, its borders and its integration. This paper traces Russian parliamentary discourse on the processes of regional integration in Europe and Eurasia over the last 14 years. It offers first results of the analysis of the dynamic discursive construction of Europe and of Russia (at different times - as a European, Eurasian, or a stand-alone idiosyncratic country), and maps variation in discourse across political parties. This study outlines identitary options offered by Russia to the countries in the “contested zone” (Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, etc.), complementing the identitary offer of the European Union and other European institutions. It thus sheds light on the ideological background of the EU-Russia relationship, and on the intricacies of foreign policy in the “contested zone” between the EU and Russia. This study is part of a collaborative project on the discursive construction of Europe’s borders at the Swiss Federal School of Technology.