Russia as a Great Power: Dimensions of Security Under Putin

by Hedenskog; Jakob

• ISBN13: 9780415359962
• ISBN10: 0415359961
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-06-21
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

After a period of relative weakness and isolation during most of the 1990s, Russia is again appearing as a major security player in world politics, a shift that will have profound effects for regional and global stability and power relations. This book provides a comprehensive assessment of Russia's current security situation, addressing such topics as the type of player the new Russia will be in the field of security, the essence of Russian security policy, the sources, capabilities and priorities of the countries security policy, and its prospects for the future. One important conclusion to emerge is that, while Russian foreign policy under Vladimir Putin has become more pragmatic and responsive to both problems and opportunities, the growing lack of checks and balances in domestic politics makes political integration with the West very difficult and gives the president very great freedom in applying Russia's growing power abroad. This book analyzes both external and internal dimensions of security,along with so-called hard and soft security issues and intricate interplay between them. This book will appeal to Russian and Eastern European scholars and academics looking for the most up-to-date and erudite analysis of Russia's current security situation.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	ix
List of contributors	x
Acknowledgements	xiii
List of abbreviations	xiv
Introduction	1	(10)
PART I Dimensions of external security	11	(96)
1 Russia as a great power	13	(16)
IVER B. NEUMANN
2 Foreign policy priorities under Putin: a tour d'horizon	29	(28)
INGMAR OLDBERG
3 Russia and NATO: community of values or community of interests?	57	(24)
JAKUB M. GODZIMIRSKI
4 The logic of foreign and security policy change in Russia	81	(26)
METTE SKAK
PART II Dimensions of regional security	107	(94)
5 What prospects for Russia in the Baltic Sea region? Cooperation or isolation?	109	(21)
VILHELM KONNANDER
6 Filling 'the gap': Russian security policy towards Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova under Putin	130	(26)
JAKOB HEDENSKOG
7 Russia's relations with Georgia under Putin: the impact of 11 September	156	(26)
BERTIL NYGREN
8 Understanding Russia's foreign policy change: the cases of Central Asia and Iraq	182	(19)
LENA JONSON
PART III Internal dimensions of security	201	(98)
9 Putin, the army and military reform	203	(24)
ISABELLE FACON
10 Russian economic security in a medium-term perspective	227	(30)
ROLAND GÖTZ
11 Forming a new security identity in modern Russia	257	(21)
NIKITA LOMAGIN
12 Nuclear safety and environmental risks of north-west Russia: a source of cooperation and conflict	278	(21)
CHRISTER PURSIAINEN
PART IV Terrorism: a new security threat	299	(46)
13 Russia's approach to the fight against terrorism	301	(22)
EKATERINA STEPANOVA
14 Counter-terrorism as a building block for Putin's regime	323	(22)
PAVEL K. BAEV
Conclusions and perspectives	345	(11)
Index	356