Identity, Security, and Hegemony: Understanding Russia's Strategy in Afghanistan

This thesis examines the complex geopolitical strategy of Russia in Afghanistan, attempting in particular to understand Russia's strategy following the United States' withdrawal in 2021. This thesis considers Russia's behavior using an offensive realist framework and considering how Russia's sense of identity has shaped its security concerns. By tracing Russian and Soviet strategy towards Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion in 1979 until today, this thesis explains how combining offensive realism with the concept of identity can make sense of Russia's apparently paradoxical strategy towards Afghanistan. Further, this thesis attempts to understand what Russia's more general geopolitical strategy is by looking at its strategy towards Afghanistan.