Russia's Foreign Policy

by Tsygankov, Andrei P.

• ISBN13: 9780742567535
• ISBN10: 0742567532
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-28
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc

Summary

Now fully updated and revised, this clear and comprehensive text explores the past thirty years of Soviet/Russian international relations, comparing foreign policy formation under Gorbachev, Yeltsin, Putin, and Medvedev. Challenging conventional views of Moscow's foreign policy, Andrei Tsygankov shows that definitions of national interest depend on visions of national identity and is rooted both in history and domestic politics. Yet the author also highlights the role of the external environment in affecting the balance of power among competing domestic groups. Drawing on both Russian and Western sources, Tsygankov shows how Moscow's policies have shifted under different leaders' visions of Russia's national interests. He gives an overview of the ideas and pressures that motivated Russian foreign policy in five different periods: the Gorbachev era of the late 1980s, the liberal "Westernizers" era under Kozyrev in the early 1990s, the relatively hardline statist policy under Primakov, the more pragmatic statist course under Putin, and the assertive policy of the late Putin and early Medvedev era. Evaluating the successes and failures of Russia's foreign policies, Tsygankov explains its many turns as Russia's identity and interaction with the West have evolved. The book concludes with reflections on the emergence of the post-Western world and the challenges it presents to Russia's enduring quest for great-power status along with its desire for a special relationship with Western nations.

Author Biography

Andrei P. Tsygankov is professor of international relations/political science at San Francisco State University.

Table of Contents

Note on the Transliteration	p. ix
List of Tables	p. xi
Chronology of Key Foreign Policy Events, 1985-2009	p. xiii
Preface	p. xxiii
Understanding Change and Continuity in Russia's Foreign Policy	p. 1
The Cold War Crisis and the Soviet New Thinking	p. 31
The Post-Cold War Euphoria and Russia's Liberal Westernism	p. 55
The New Security Challenges and Great Power Balancing	p. 93
The World after September 11 and Great Power Pragmatism	p. 129
The U.S. Regime Change Strategy and a New Face of Great Power Pragmatism	p. 171
The Post-Western World and Russia's Search for a New Direction	p. 201
Conclusions and Lessons	p. 221
Essential Reading	p. 245
Index	p. 249
About the Author	p. 265
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