Soviet Foreign Policy In Transition

Russian international relations has undergone profound changes in the last fifteen years that have effected both the Russian view of the world and the outside perspective of the Russian Federation. These changes will undoubtedly play an integral part of Russian foreign relations for years to come. And yet the question remains, how has Russian influence adapted to the post-Soviet world order? In this critical analysis, Andrei Melville sheds light on the complexities of Russian foreign policy from 1991 to 2004. Divided into three parts, the book presents official translated documents in the first section that outline, among other things, the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the military doctrine of the Russian Federation, and the agreement on security and cooperation between NATO and Russia. These documents are an essential first step in understanding the shape and context of Russian foreign policy from the demise of the Soviet Union up to the present. The second section of the book is composed of official statements from Russia leaders who are seeking to define the next generation of Russian international relations. Among the statements is Vladimir Putin's illuminating essay on Russia at the turn of the century. It is here where Putin defines the Russian policy of a strong state, efficient economy, and social solidarity. In addition, former Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov provides a statement on the hopes and obstacles for international relations in the 21st century. The authors of the remaining three papers have also served as Prime Ministers or foreign ministers in the Russian government during the past decade. The final section of the book is composed ofanalysis from scholars and Russian foreign policy experts. The analysis addresses a wide range of topics from the crisis in Kosovo to Russian-Chinese relations. Here, the official documents, statements, and policies of the Russian Federation are cast in a different light, bringing to surface the tough questions, the challenges, and the promises that face Russian foreign policy in the future. Putin's "new course" or "foreign policy therapy" is analyzed by specialists who observe their subject at short range.

The late twentieth century witnessed remarkable changes in Soviet domestic and foreign policy. Eastern Europe sprang free of the country that held it in its grip for over forty years. The Soviet leadership has accepted the reunification of Germany and supported the US-sponsored resolution in the UN permitting the use of force in the Gulf against one of its former allies.

Role Quests in the Post-Cold War Era examines the question of foreign policy change through a comparative analysis of the Great Powers' reactions to the transformations in international relations after the Cold War. Contributors describe and explain the efforts of the United States, the Soviet Union/Russia, China, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada to redefine the role they play in an environment that has become internally and externally more uncertain.

Because of the recent transition in the Soviet Union's leadership, scholars worldwide have found it necessary to reevaluate Soviet domestic and foreign policy. In this volume, prominent Japanese, U.S., and European experts examine changes within the USSR as well as Soviet reactions to changes in the rest of the world. They assess the immediate implications of change for such areas as technology, energy policy, and economic reform and deliver commentaries on current policy directions and historical backgrounds of Soviet policies. To commemorate its silver jubilee and to add the valuable perspective of Japanese Soviet-studies scholars to Western analyses, the Japan Institute of International Affairs held the symposium on which this volume is based.

This study is an examination and assessment of critical trends in the evolution of Russian thinking on foreign and national security policy in recent years. The consensus of the Gorbachev and Yeltsin eras that promised rapprochement with the West has been replaced by a new consensus that is pushing Russia toward a more aloof position vis-a-vis the Western alliance as leaders grapple with problems along Russia's immediate periphery and seek to rebuild Russia's sphere of influence. A key issue is the contradiction between U.S. recognition of the newly independent states around Russia's periphery and Russia's special role of oversight throughout the former Soviet Union and pursuit of national interests that might impinge on its neighbor's sovereignty. U.S. policymakers face the task of balancing the newly independent states' right to sovereignty against the need to restore order in a given region and the desire to sustain continuity in U.S.-Russian relations. Although there are no easy solutions, the Western community can play a constructive role while remaining on the periphery.

Soviet Foreign Policy After Stalin, first published in 1962, reviews the constants and variables in the Soviet international course after Stalin. It examines the legacy of Stalin’s policy of Soviet imperialism, and how much his foreign policy was followed by his successors. It looks at the period of transition, the uprisings in Europe, the new Soviet course toward the ‘uncommitted nations’, Sino-Soviet relations, the ascent of Khrushchev and the stiffening of the Soviet view toward the West.

Monograph speculating on effects of future change in USSR political leadership regarding soviet planned economy and foreign policy towards the USA - profiles Elite members in the communist political party, (including past generations), in public administration, in military service and in the foreign policy establishment, and asserts that future soviet leadership might try to improve the present conflictual relationships with the USA. Graphs, map and references.