Insight Turkey
Insight Turkey
Challenging ideas
On Turkish politics and International affairs

Author

Mehmet Çağatay Güler

Bilkent University, Turkey
Mehmet Çağatay Güler
The Quest for Soviet Legacy in Russian Foreign Policy
June 18, 2021
Russian foreign policy is a popular subject on which scholars have lately conducted much research. The current stage of these studies is competent in explaining various aspects of Russian foreign policy. Yet, considering both earlier and more recent works, there seems to be a trend of focusing solely on the post-Soviet era. Relatedly, the majority of the current literature adopts perspectives that analyze the period after Vladimir Putin’s rise to power. Moreover, almost all of the prominent and relatively less-cited research takes a leader-oriented approach. Hence, despite the satisfying heft of the current literature, there still is a gap regarding the Soviet legacy behind Russia’s foreign policy orientations. In other words, although most of the components and goals of Moscow’s foreign policy have been previously covered, the role of Soviet history/the Soviet mindset remains vague. To this end, this review article thoroughly analyzes the four selected books and engages with their contributions in terms of defining the role of the Soviet legacy in Russian foreign policy formulations.
The Sources of Russia’s Great Power Politics: Ukraine and the Challenge to the European Order
November 28, 2020
Overall, the book contains significant information and analysis regarding the Russia’s seizure of Crimea and hybrid war in Eastern Ukraine. It is a must-read for anyone who works on Russia, foreign policy and security policy. Its strengths clearly overshadow the minor questions that comes in mind.

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