Den (o)sportsliga politiken

Sammanfattning: During the years from 2000 until 2016, Russia’s conduct in the international sphere have become more and more aggressive, in terms of hard power such as military operations in Syria, Ukraine and Georgia and economic actions against the EU through trade with oil and natural gas. By this, the Russian state has become a target for the western world, where the EU and the US have introduced sanctions against the Russians state because of their crime against international law. In this thesis, which is a case study, the purpose is to examine the opposite of hard power, videlicet soft power, and how Russia uses soft power in terms of sports to get a better repute internationally and nationally. Joseph Nye and Guan Lee’s theories of soft power are the foundation in this thesis. The theories presents how states are using soft power in both a international factor, for maximizing their power, legitimacy and attractiveness against other states, and a national factor, by using soft power for retain their power and get more legitimacy in their own state and their own population. By the use of the theories through the examination and on the case of Russia and their vision for getting a better situation international and nationally, I can establish that the Russian state are using sports, such as the arrangement of the Olympics and World Cup of Soccer, and the KHL, as a tool in their foreign and national policy for getting more attractiveness, legitimacy and reputation among other states and their own population.