The Paralysis of the Visegrád Group: The Clash of National Identities and Ontological Security in the Wake of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

This bachelor thesis examines the breakdown of unity within the Visegrad Group following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine through the lens of ontological security theory. While standard political science approaches explain the V4 paralysis through national interests, this thesis argues that differing identity management strategies of individual member states played a key role. Using critical discourse analysis of public statements by top representatives of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary between 2022 and 2026, the thesis identifies linguistic frames through which states construct their identity in response to ontological shock. To systematically capture these strategies, the thesis introduces an original analytical model—the "Compass of the (In)secure self"—which visualizes state positions along the axes of anchoring and demarcation. The analysis shows that while Poland remained in the solidaristic "We with You" frame, the Czech Republic and Slovakia shifted toward demarcation ("We Alone") following government changes, and Hungary combined "We Alone" with elements of "Identity" from the outset. The resulting distribution of states within the model demonstrates that the V4 paralysis is not a result of random political disagreements but of a deep clash of ontological strategies.