When Statebuilding Becomes Securitized: The Aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian Crisis in the context of Moldova’s statehood

Abstract

This thesis responds to the need for a deeper understanding of how the 2014 Ukrainian Crisis affected Moldova’s statebuilding project. It answers the research question: How has the 2014 Ukrainian Crisis securitized Moldovan statebuilding processes between 2014 and 2018? This thesis will argue that the 2014 Ukrainian Crisis was exploited by competing political and cultural elites to securitize Moldovan statebuilding. Through the process of securitized statebuilding, these actors sought to advance their preferred identity narratives, legitimize their claims to political authority, and reshape the direction of Moldovan statebuilding. To analyse this process this thesis develops a conceptual framework to identify when and why statebuilding practices become linked to security concerns. It will demonstrate that Moldova’s fragmented society, the unresolved conflict with Transnistria, and the involvement of international actors created structural conditions that made Moldovan statebuilding particularly susceptible to securitized statebuilding in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian Crisis. This thesis shows that statebuilding actors utilized the crisis to justify securitizing moves and consolidate power, thereby contributing to increasing political and societal polarization. In doing so this analysis identifies the erosion of a previously viable ‘third way’, signalling the securitization of Moldovan statebuilding practices. Finally this thesis will reflect on the implications of these findings for the future of Moldovan statehood, particularly in light of the ongoing War in Ukraine.