Russia and the World

Abstract

Russia’s place in the contemporary world is shaped by both permanent and transient factors. Russia is the world’s largest country, geopolitically defined by its position straddling the Eurasian land mass. Its size and location have long been central components of its foreign policy thinking, in terms of both potential influence over global affairs and potential threats to the security of Russia itself. Russia sees itself as a ‘great power’, with the right to a sphere of influence related to its geopolitical position, and to a place at the top table in global affairs more broadly. As one of only five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Russia’s influential position in global affairs has formal recognition. A regional sphere of influence, however, is not something so straightforwardly recognized. For example, while Russia might — and indeed does — perceive itself as having a legitimate case for preventing any future expansion of the NATO military alliance to countries such as Ukraine and Georgia, there is no formal justification for Russia to have a veto over the alliances formed by sovereign independent states, whatever their historical and geopolitical relationship with their larger neighbour.