CHANGE AND CONTINUITY IN RUSSIA&rsquo / S RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES IN EURASIA (2000-2005) Dereli, Pinar M. Sc., Department of Eurasian Studies Supervisor: Assit. Prof. Dr. Oktay F. Tanrisever June 2006, 112 pages This thesis seeks to analyze change and continuity in Russia&rsquo / s relations with the United States (US) in Eurasia under the leadership of Vladimir Putin between 2000 and 2005. The thesis argues that the fundamental change in Russia&rsquo / s relations with the US came immediately after Putin&rsquo / s presidency, rather than 9/11 terrorist attacks, as his foreign policy priorities required the establishment of close relations with the US as much as possible. The September 11 terrorist attacks have only facilitated the implementation of Putin&rsquo / s this pragmatic foreign policy. In fact, the continuation of differences between Russia and the US concerning bilateral and regional issues shows that their strategic partnership is mainly rhetoric driven by the short-term tactical considerations rather than shared global values and long-term interests. For this reason, Eurasia continued to be an area of confrontation in Russia&rsquo / s relations with the US in the post-9/11 era. The thesis consists of four main chapters apart from introduction and conclusion. The first main chapter discusses the evolution of Russian foreign policy towards the US between 1991 and 2000. The following chapter deals with the sources of change in Russian foreign policy towards the US before 9/11 events. The next chapter examines Russian-US bilateral relations after 9/11. Finally, the last chapter discusses the impact of 9/11 on the Russian-US relations in Eurasia. Keywords: Pragmatism, Vladimir Putin, Russian foreign policy, the United States, September 11.

'Snap Shot' is a Young Adult novel centred around two main characters – 16 year-old Bel and her older step-sister, Diane, who was living in New York on September 11, 2001. The novel begins with a bus crash on a city freeway, and the narrator, who we later learn is Bel, unfolds the story that leads up to the crash. There are many plotlines that run through the novel, narrated in a variety of voices by Bel. She tells the story of her step-sister, who witnessed the September 11 attack from a distance (in Queens). She reveals her sister's story in the weeks following the attack. Diane is inspired by the image of one of the victims of the attack, a woman named Sena. She sees her photo in one of the desperate fliers that popped up around the city after the attack, and recognises a bracelet the woman is wearing as similar to one owned by her mother. Diane acts on an impulsive idea to somehow bring redemption to the family of this woman by creating a false photograph of the bracelet at Ground Zero, but she is detained by the National Guard. This is an incident that leads to her mother's decision to return to Australia to live. Back in Australia, Diane makes contact with her father, who is distant and dishonest with her. Diane asks to see her younger step-sister, Bel, but she is met with strong resistance. It is obvious that she is being kept from her sister. Bel also learns that her step-sister is back, but her attempts to make contact are blocked by her parents. Eventually the two sisters get together, and the younger forms a fascination and powerful admiration for her older sister, who is now a photographer. She takes images of men she has never met and posts them on her website with emotive labels such as 'victim' or 'terrorist'. Bel's fascination with her older sister leads her to want to emulate her. She sets out to take a photograph of a stranger, and stalks a young man for two days, working up the courage to approach him and interact with him. The fact that she wants to interact with her subject creates tension with her sister, who never speaks with her subjects. They argue about Bel's safety and Diane's courage. Bel eventually approaches the young man, Robert, and forms a connection with him. The coming together of these three characters sets in motion an idea, impulsive and provocative, driven by Bel, to create an artificial moment of terror on a bus as a means to shock the passengers and shake them from a 'dream'. This story is told through counter-voices that offer harmony and dissonance, and at times perspective, to the unfolding plotline. There is Shahrazade, an evocation of Bel's imagination, who is the ultimate in the courageous storyteller. Shahrazade uses narrative to divert her audience away from murderous revenge and into empathic connection. There are the short passages depicting the moments in the bus from the points of view of several passengers. There are the chapters where Bel is interrogated by two police officers, who slowly slide from being realistic characters to figments of Bel's overactive imagination. At the beginning of the novel, Bel tells the reader, 'You are witness to a tragedy, but you don’t call it that.' (Bone 2008) By the end, the verdict is left open. Are the three guilty of creating terror on the bus? Was it a tragedy? Is there redemption in the act of telling a story? The exegetical component of this thesis explores the social, literary and political context of the writing of 'Snap Shot'. It is in three parts, predicated on my research enquiry about the nature of the world we now live in post-September 11, a day that was supposed to have changed history. I explore whether there is a consistent and unified narrative that, as members of the public, we are engaging with. I look at the use of fear by the terrorists, and explore how this fear has manifested itself post-September 11. I ask whether there is an ongoing narrative of fear, and if so, what is its nature? How is it perpetuated? How does the public engage with this narrative? And what implications does this have for the writing of 'Snap Shot'? I explore literary and artistic responses to September 11, and explore the role of the artist as provocateur. What are the taboos and sore points that provocative art can touch on when looking at the subject of the world that has emerged post-September 11? The exegesis also explores how fear and terror are communicated, with a particular reference to symbolism and frames. What imaginings emerged from the subterranean consciousness prior to September 11, and what imaginings are at play today? Significantly, I explore what implications this imagination has for communicating an anti-terrorism message within the context of writing 'Snap Shot'. / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 2008

Thesis (M.A.)--Baylor University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 100-108).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2007. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Oregon, 2007. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-119).

Honors Project--Smith College, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 49-52).

Thesis (M.S.)--Missouri State University, 2008. / "December 2008." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-89). Also available online.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 74 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 64-74).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Georgetown University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Duquesne University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 180-184) and index.