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

by Andrei P. Tsygankov

This clear and comprehensive text explores the past quarter-century of Soviet/Russian international relations, comparing foreign policy formation under Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Putin. Challenging conventional views of Moscow's foreign policy, Andrei Tsygankov takes a constructivist approach to argue that definitions of national interest depend on visions of national identity and that national identity is rooted both in history and domestic politics. Yet the author also highlights the role of the external environment in affecting the balance of power among competing domestic groups. Drawing on an impressive mastery of both Russian and Western sources, Andrei P. Tsygankov shows how Moscow's policies have shifted under different leaders' visions of Russia's national interests. He gives an overview of the ideas and pressures that motivated Russian foreign policy in four different periods: the Gorbachev era of the late 1980s, the liberal 'Westernizers' era under Kozyrev in the early 1990s, the relatively hardline statist policy under Primakov, and the more pragmatic statist policy under Putin. Evaluating the successes and failures of Russia's foreign policies, Tsygankov explains its many turns as Russia's identity and interaction with the West have evolved. Instructor Manual (passcoded)

Genres: Russia, Politics, Nonfiction, History, Political Science, International Relations, Sociology

244 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2006

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for a graduate level Russian Foreign Policy class. It was really well organized, and the language was very straightforward. I think even if you weren't used to reading research papers, you'd be able to understand the text. Tsygankov did a great job analyzing Russian leaders and introducing the Russian schools of thought to help guide your analysis and understanding of these leaders. It was one of the more interesting texts I've read.

[Spencer Willardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good overview of post-Soviet Russia's foreign policy. I read it out of curiosity and considering it for use in a course on US foreign policy toward Russia. It gives a balanced look at Russia's interests and the different political and ideological factions that make up Russian foreign policy thinking. It is a fair look at the ways that Russia has acted and reacted to US - primarily - foreign policy and international relations.

If foreign policy and understanding are to be built on understanding how each other thinks, then this is a critical book for those thinking about US policy toward Russia. You don't have to agree with the thinking, but you do have to understand it in order to engage in real good-faith negotiations and policy.

I recommend this book.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A long, dry, but also informative, educational and thought provoking read on the history and future of foreign policy between the West and Russia. It certainly paints the picture of unsynchronized efforts of cooperation between the two parties, the missed opportunities, and how policy makers can do better in the future to bring stability back to the international system.

[Christina Morden (ClaryNathanWill) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for political science class on Russian foreign and security policy.

This has been one of the driest texts I’ve ever had to read for a class.

[Jonah Lo · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 key takeaways.

1. Surprising Turning Points
Outside Russia, it can be hard to figure out precisely what events shape elite opinion. This is where Tsygankov shines, as a deep specialist who understands how to navigate through Russian language sources to locate elite opinion, sifting away English-speaking provocateurs who attain infamy overseas but remain marginal at home. You won't see much of Dugin or RT in the citations, but you will see the writings of Putin, Patrushev, and Bastrykin.

Interestingly, the book does not locate the 2008 Bucharest Summit as a major inflection point (as is sometimes posited by non-area specialists). Instead, it looks to the IMF loans of the 1990s, the War on Terror of the 2000s, and the Libyan intervention of 2011 as the key turning points that shifted elite opinions and assumptions. This was a useful reminder to me to exercise #strategicempathy to recognize the sheer range of perceptions that a geopolitical actor might hold. Sometimes the key assumptions, logics, and "historical lessons" that you think an actor might hold can be completely different from what they actually possess. In such circumstances, one must stay humble, and show care and discipline in choosing sources.

2. A Helpful Framework
When a state's foreign policy shifts or makes a "reverse-course", it can be difficult to analyse as a single coherent item. Tsygankov proposes that Russian Foreign Policy can be best understood as oscillating between three "schools of thought" - Westernisers, Statists, and Civilizationists, who each seek different normative priorities and compete to promote different definitions of national identity. I found this immensely helpful in understanding the shifts between Kozyrev, Primakov, Putin, and Medvedev. It also called to mind David Ownby's categorization of schools of thought in Chinese intellectualism - Liberals, New Confucians, and New Leftists.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the way this book was written. It was clear to understand and follow along. The author didn't jump around in Russia's historical timeline, rather he analyzed each leader's foreign policy, both its causes and effects. The arguments were clear and precise; there wasn't a lot of fluff. I really liked how each chapter followed the same format, making it very easy to compare leaders' policies. In each chapter, the author touched on the global context at the time, what the policy was, who supported it/who didn't and why, regional relations, and the policies' outcomes. Like I said, very clear and easy to understand.

My only complaint is that as later editions were released and the most recent leader's foreign policy chapter was added, the older chapters weren't updated. There were several parts where it was stated something along the lines "we'll have to wait an see," but the next chapter moves on and doesn't discuss the outcome of that specific policy at all, despite being years later. That grated a bit, but overall I got a lot out of this book.

[Mills College Library]

327.47 T8829 2013

[idogrocker]

Fourth Edition (2016)