A Challenge for American Policies: Russian Vital Interests

Abstract

The current Russian concept of vital interests rejects the old Soviet dogma regarding a struggle between two social systems. However, it falls short of embracing the idea of Foreign Minister Andrey Kozyrev that it is essential for Russia to collaborate with the West on security matters. Nor is the concept dependent on Russia's integration into the Western-dominated international system. Russia's new concept of vital interests represents both a challenge and an opportunity for American policy, but not necessarily a return to Russian expansionism. Russia's de-emphasis of integration with the West, combined with the growing risk that an ultra-nationalist might come to power in Moscow, challenges the United States to re-examine its policies, not just toward Russia, but toward the entire region of Europe formerly controlled by the Soviets.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1994
Accession Number
ADA394638

Entities

People

  • James H. Brusstar

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Central Asia
  • Central Europe
  • Cis
  • Cold War
  • Czech Republic
  • Doctrine
  • Eastern Europe
  • Europe
  • Far East
  • International Organizations
  • Military Capabilities
  • Military Doctrine
  • National Security
  • Security
  • United States
  • Ussr
  • Western Europe

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design