1st Edition
Russia and the World in the Putin Era From Theory to Reality in Russian Global Strategy
This volume examines the role of Russia in the world under President Putin’s rule.
When the Soviet Union disintegrated after the Cold War, Russia seemingly embarked on the establishment of a democratic political system and seemed intent on joining the liberal international order. However, under President Putin’s rule, there have been dramatic shifts in Russian domestic and foreign policies, in order to re-establish itself as a great power. This book examines broad aspects of Russian political culture and threat perception, such as Russia’s reaction to NATO expansion; its information warfare and energy policies; and its policy towards the Global South, especially the Middle East and Africa. The objective of the analyses is to explain the factors that influence Russian foreign policy, and to show how and why Russian relations with the European Union and the United States have deteriorated so rapidly in recent years. The volume introduces an alternative approach to the standard realist perspective, which often underlies existing analyses of Russian policy – namely, the work offers a theoretical perspective that focuses on the Russian sense of identity and on ontological security.
This book will be of much interest to students of Russian foreign policy, security studies, and International Relations.
Preface
Roger E. Kanet
Introduction: Russia Foreign Policy and the Return to Authoritarian Roots
Roger E. Kanet and Dina Moulioukova
Part I: Sources and Tools of Russian Foreign Policy
1. Russia’s Self-Image as a Great Power
Dina Moulioukova and Roger E. Kanet
2. Russian Strategic Culture and Renewed Conflict with the West
Roger E. Kanet
3. Images and Decision-making in Foreign Policy: The Case of Vladimir Putin
Aleksandar Jankovski
4. Atlanticism in an Age of Great Power Competition: Is Russia Achieving its Goals?
Suzanne Loftus
5. The Battle of Ontological Narratives: Russia and the Annexation of Crimea
Dina Moulioukova and Roger E. Kanet
6. The Role of Energy in Russian Foreign Policy
Arsen Gasparyan
Part II: The Russian Response to U.S. Policies
7. NATO, US Grand Strategy and the Russian Response
Rajan Menon and William Ruger
8. The Russian Response to U.S. Sanctions
Charles E. Ziegler
Part III: Russian Policy in the Developing World
9. A Comparison of Soviet and Russian Foreign Policy: Ontological Security and Policy toward Africa
Roger E. Kanet and Dina Moulioukova
10. Russia’s Expanding Role in the Eastern Mediterranean: Opportunities and Challenges
Nuray Ibryamova
11. The New Great Game: Ontological Factors in Western and Rising Powers Competition in Venezuela
Dina Moulioukova and Karina Brennan
Conclusion
Roger E. Kanet and Dina Moulioukova
Biography
Roger E. Kanet is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at both the University of Miami and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.
Dina Moulioukova is a Lecturer of International Studies at the University of Miami, USA.
'the book persuasively explains Russia’s ambitious foreign policy under Putin and can be a valuable reference for researchers and casual readers. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the rationale behind it, support
the argument defended throughout the book: Russian foreign policy revolves around preventing the eastward expansion of NATO. ... Overall, the book illustrates new perspectives on Russia’s actions and its position on the grand chessboard of Eurasia and beyond.'--Halil Ibrahim Buyukmehmetoglu, International Affairs
