The Two-Headed Eagle: Faces of Russian Foreign Policy
Abstract
The former Soviet states in Central and Eastern Europe comprise a prominent portion of the Russian Federations Near Abroad. During and since World War II, these countries have alternately served as an adversary avenue of approach and a security zone for the Soviet Union. Since the end of the Cold War, these countries have remained a zone of competition and contestation between Russia and Western Europe. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, just over 25 million Soviet citizens of Russian cultural and linguistic descent were displaced beyond the Russian Federations border in newly independent states. In addition, the Soviet Unions superpower status disappeared virtually overnight. Since then, President Boris Yeltsin and President Vladimir Putin have steadily attempted to restore Russias regional credibility in an attempt to revive Russias status as a great global power. The primary method for achieving this is through reconstitution of regional, multilateral institutions while remaining active in international institutions such as the United Nations. After Putins election as President in 2000, the Kremlin diverged from the erratic foreign policy dealings with the Near Abroad in 1990s through attempts to strengthen the Commonwealth of Independent States. Russias conflict with Georgia in 2008, occupation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula, and continuing military involvement in Eastern Ukraine have damaged relations between the West and Russia. This discussion argues that Putins recent actions in the Near Abroad are consistent with past Soviet and Russian leaders desire to manage the securitization of these countries as a matter of honor and prestige as a precursor to restoring regional hegemony.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1015817
Entities
People
- Brad Bemish
Organizations
- Air University