Introduction: Russia foreign policy and the return to authoritarian roots

Abstract

In 1991, the Soviet Union disintegrated, the cold war came to an end and Russia seemingly embarked on the process of establishing a democratic political system and joining the liberal international order. Today, three decades later, the hostility that had characterized East–West relations for more than 40 years has reemerged between Russia and both the U.S.A. and Western Europe. What happened to bring about this dramatic turnabout? To what extent was this change largely the result of the Russian reaction to Western actions, such as the expansion of NATO into formerly Soviet space? To what extent does it respond to authoritarian developments in domestic politics in Russia since the rise of Vladimir Putin and his supporters to power and to their commitment to reestablishing the “Great Power” image of Russia that coincides with the centuries-old view of Russia under both the czars and Soviet leaders? In the chapters that comprise this volume, we will provide at least partial answers to these questions.