Russia’s position towards the missile shield project

Abstract

The Russian foreign policy (or the reaction of Russia on any phenomena) has been often analyzed only in terms of the balance of power, leaving aside the importance and scope of subjective and internal factors on its conduct. This article aims to demonstrate that Russia’s position towards the European missile shield reflects internal factors, as well as some subjective factors, which reflect the perceptions of Russian political leaders. More precisely, by analyzing Russia's position vis-à-vis the missile shield, we argue that subjective factors, such as leaders' perceptions, play a key role in the conduct of the Russian foreign and security policy. that the ontological and epistemological foundations of a neoclassical realist approach can help us to establish a logical and conscious process in our analysis. This can be explained in part by the fact that neoclassical realism focuses on internal factors to explain foreign policy.