Modern Russian Foreign Policy
In the 20 years since the fall of communism, Russia has seen tumultuous times. In a relatively short period of time, a former world superpower has suffered through dramatic changes – some positive, and some painful. The 1980s ultimately brought about the fall of communist U.S.S.R, the 1990s showed the world the phoenix-like rise of democracy from the ashes of communism, and the 2000s have now shown us the rise of autocracy, or “sovereign democracy” , wrapped in a Russian flag. The Russian state that enters into this new decade is an entirely different state than that of its communist, or even democratic, predecessors. Such quick, drastic changes and Western inexperience in dealing with Russia’s new form of democracy has left Western governments sometimes scrambling to find a proper response to the actions of a Russia which they do not understand. The foreign policy and resulting actions of 21st century Russia are often misinterpreted by Western powers as those of a belligerent and sometimes antagonistic state. Western media also often does not understand and does not accurately convey Russia’s foreign policy goals to the public, sometimes deciding to demonize Russia and capitalize on the fact that much of the Western populace sees little distinction between the actions of modern Russia and those of the Soviet Union. Miscalculated Western foreign policy leads to nearly the same situation inside of Russia, where an antagonistic West can only serve to help Russia’s autocratic leaders perpetuate their hold on power. This paper will attempt to show the motives behind Russia’s foreign policy decisions and create an understanding that Western states can use to better achieve their own goals while at the same time helping to promote true democracy in Russia.
Modern Russia, in light of its historic position as the heart of the