Russia's Foreign Policy: Change and Continuity in National Identity

Andrei Tsygankov's book explores Soviet/Russian international relations over the past thirty years, challenging conventional views of Moscow's foreign policy and highlighting the role of the external environment in affecting the balance of power among competing domestic groups. It provides an overview of the ideas and pressures that motivated Russian foreign policy in six different periods and evaluates its successes and failures.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 298 pages
Publication date: 29 July 2022
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Soviet/Russian international relations have undergone significant changes over the past thirty years, with foreign policy formation under Gorbachev, Yeltsin, Medvedev, and Putin being particularly noteworthy. Andrei Tsygankov's book challenges conventional views of Moscow's foreign policy, arguing that definitions of national interest are shaped by visions of national identity and are influenced by both history and domestic politics. However, the author also emphasizes the role of the external environment in affecting the balance of power among competing domestic groups. Drawing on both Russian and Western sources, Tsygankov provides an overview of the ideas and pressures that motivated Russian foreign policy in six different periods: the Gorbachev era of the late 1980s, the liberal "Westernizers" era under Kozyrev in the early 1990s, the relatively hardline statist policy under Primakov, the more pragmatic course of limited cooperation under Putin and then Medvedev, and the assertive policy Putin has implemented since his return to power. Evaluating the successes and failures of Russia's foreign policies, Tsygankov explains its many turns as Russia's identity and interaction with the West have evolved. The book concludes with reflections on the emergence of the post-Western world and the challenges it presents to Russia's enduring quest for great-power status.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538161494
Edition number: Sixth Edition