Description
Book SynopsisAlmost three years after the first voluntary handover of power in Russian history, this book examines Putina s management of this complex agenda, and considers how Moscowa s current approach to international relations resembles and differs from that under Yeltsin.
Trade Review"This is a particularly lucid, well-informed and sensible analysis of Putin's approach to Russian foreign policy which professionals and laymen alike can read with pleasure as well as profit."
Sir Rodric Braithwaite, former UK Ambassador to Russia
"A well written and vigorously argued book. It is the best overall assessment to date of Putin's foreign policy." Dr Alex Pravda, Director, Russian and East European Centre, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford
"Bobo Lo's insight into the opaque world of Russian foreign policy is unique. The way perceptions and myths mix with pragmatism and cynicism to form Moscow's outlook on the world is a fascinating read, which should remain a standard work in its field for a long time." Konstantin Eggert, BBC Russian Service Bureau Chief in Moscow
"This is a Chatham House Paper at its best: the analysis is very well informed, the argument is succinct and persuasive and the presentation is accessible. Bobo Lo's examination of Russian foreign policy under Putin is the best work on the subject ... This work is not just a powerful contribution to the literature; it is likely to become the starting point for discussions of current Russian foreign policy ... his work sets the agenda." International Affairs
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii
About the author ix
1 The Putin phenomenon 1
2 The inheritance 9
Identity and self-perception 11
The political context 18
The institutional context 21
The foreign policy panorama 23
Conclusion 29
3 The policy-making environment 31
A cast of thousands? 32
The primacy of the individual and the making (and breaking) of policy 42
All together now? 46
Conclusion 49
4 The economic agenda 51
The ‘unaturalness’ of economics 51
Foreign policy and economic reform 53
The integration agenda and globalization 57
The profit motive 61
Geoeconomics and geopolitics 65
Economization and a ‘balanced’ foreign policy 69
5 Security and geopolitics 72
The geopolitical mindset 72
Change and continuity in Russian strategic thinking 74
The evolution of threat perceptions 83
The future of security and geopolitics – from anachronism to rebirth? 94
6 Identity, values and civilization 97
The burden of the past 98
Integration with the West 101
Identification with the West and the evolution of the
Russian world-view 109
Conclusion 113
7 11 September and after 115
Policy-making – image and reality 117
The economic agenda – Westernization with qualifications 121
A new conception of security? 123
The repackaging of identity 127
Strategic opportunism 129
Towards a sustainable foreign policy 130
Notes 133
Index 161
