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

Now fully updated and revised, this clear and comprehensive text explores the past quarter-century of Soviet/Russian international relations, comparing foreign policy formation under Gorbachev, Yeltsin, Putin, and Medvedev. Drawing on an impressive mastery of both Russian and Western sources, Andrei P. Tsygankov shows how Moscow's policies have shifted with each leader's vision of Russia's national interests. He evaluates the successes and failures of Russia's foreign policies, explaining 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 along with its desire for a special relationship with Western nations.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Understanding Change and Continuity in Russia's Foreign Policy Chapter 2: The Cold War Crisis and the Soviet New Thinking Chapter 3: The Post-Cold War Euphoria and Russia's Liberal Westernism Chapter 4: New Security Challenges and Great Power Balancing Chapter 5: The World after September 11 and Pragmatic Cooperation Chapter 6: U.S. Regime Change Strategy and Great Power Assertiveness Chapter 7: Global Instability and Russia's Search for a New Direction Chapter 8: Conclusions and Lessons Essential Reading

About the Author :
Andrei P. Tsygankov is professor of international relations and political science at San Francisco State University.

Review :
"Tsygankov (San Francisco State Univ.) provides an accessible, invaluable contribution to the teaching and analysis of Russia's post-Cold War foreign policy. This relatively short book aims to provide both a historic overview and a theoretic framework for analyzing the formation and conceptualization of Russia's national interest, with particular emphasis on Russia's historic and evolving relationship with the West. The book contains a chronology of Russian foreign policy from 1985 to the present, and relies on many original Russian-language sources. The work is divided into eight chapters, with a historic overview, a basic introduction to international relations theory and its implications for understanding Russian foreign policy, as well as chapters on Gorbachev's new thinking, Russia as great-power balancer, Russia as great-power pragmatist, and Russia as an assertive great power. It concludes by analyzing prospects for change and continuity in Russian foreign policy. Recommended." --Choice Reviews "[A] well-documented summary of the main directions of Russia's foreign policy from the Gorbachev period through the fifth year of Putin's presidency." --The Russian Review "A very coherent analysis. . . . There are few studies that so convincingly demonstrate how Russia's foreign policy has been consistently determined in large part by Moscow's relationship and attitudes towards the 'West.' . . . An excellent book." --Seer "Simply the best undergraduate textbook on contemporary Russian foreign policy available today." --Theodore Hopf, National University of Singapore "One of the most exciting younger scholars dealing with postcommunist Russia's foreign policy, Andrei Tsygankov is uniquely qualified to explain some of the lesser-known aspects of Russian politics. His concern for students and his willingness to clarify the complexities of policy formation shine through in a book that will be required reading for all those interested in Russia's international behavior." --Andrzej Korbonski, University of California, Los Angeles "A very accessible text for both instructors and students." --Tina Mavrikos-Adamou, Hofstra University