Russian Foreign Policy. Sources and Implications

To any time-traveling student of the Soviet Union or any Russia watcher of the 1990s, todays Russia would be unrecognizable. The Russia that has reemerged as a foreign policy challenge for the United States today is significantly different from the Russia of the recent past- it is wealthier, more stable, increasingly less democratic, and more assertive globally. If U.S. policy-makers hope to work with Russia on key foreign and security policy goals, they must be aware of how these goals do or do not align with Russias own interests. If they would like to see closer alignment between Russias choices and U.S. priorities, they need to understand the basis of Moscows foreign and security policy decisions, how Russian foreign policy goals may evolve, and how decisions are made in Russia. If they hope to influence Russian policies, whether through sticks or through carrots, they must know what Russian responses to such incentives will be. This knowledge can help explain where cooperation is and is not possible and where more confrontational postures may or may not be of value. This monograph analyzes the domestic and economic sources of Russian foreign and security policies. It then fleshes out Russian foreign and security policy interests, goals, and approaches. It concludes with an assessment of how Russias foreign and security policies and capabilities may affect the United States and the U.S. Air Force.