Explaining Change in Russian Foreign Policy: The Role of Ideas in post-Soviet Russia's Conduct Towards the West

This book assesses the explanatory utility of different approaches to account for post-Soviet Russia’s foreign policy towards the West. It argues that only by focusing both on external constraints and changes in the Russian leadership’s foreign policy thinking can we explain major facets of Russia’s conduct from 1992-2007.


Contents
List of Tables and Figures
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
1. Introduction
State of the debate
Approach and hypotheses
Explanatory and theoretical implications
Definitions and limitations of coverage
Chapter outline
Part I Theoretical Framework and Analysis of Discourse
2. Framework for Analysis
Realism and foreign policy analysis: Strengths and weaknesses
Social Constructivism: Endogenous interests and ideas on strategy
Methodology, methodological challenges, and ways to address them
3. Evolution of the Russian Leadership’s Foreign Policy Thinking
Discourse on the nature of international relations
Discourse on Russia’s identity, international status and role, and its primary interests
Discourse on strategy
Part II Case Study Analyses
4. Russia’s Approaches towards NATO
External constraints and Russia’s approach: Russia’s decisions to join the PfP programme and sign the NATO–Russia Founding Act
The indeterminancy of the Realist power-maximization hypothesis and the impact of collective ideas
5. Russia’s Responses to the Balkan Crises (1992–1999)
The indeterminacy of the Realist power-maximization hypothesis
Collective ideas and Russia’s responses to the Balkan crises
External constraints and Russia’s foreign policy
6. Russia’s Response to the 11 September 2001 Terrorist Attacks
External constraints and Russia’s response
The indeterminacy of the Realist power-maximization hypothesis
Collective ideas and Russia’s swift and far-reaching reaction
Part III Implications
7. Conclusion
Summary of findings
Implications
Notes and References
Selected Readings
Index