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The Quest for Soviet Legacy in Russian Foreign Policy

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 Quest for Soviet Legacy in Russian Foreign Policy
 

Routledge Handbook of Russian Foreign Policy

 

Edited by Andrei P. Tsygankov

London: Routledge, 2018, 456 pages, $50.42, ISBN: 9781315536934

 

Russia in the Changing International System

 

Edited by Emel Parlar Dal and Emre Erşen

Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2020, 243 pages, $53.49, ISBN: 9783030218324

 

The Foreign Policy of Russia: Changing Systems, Enduring Interests

 

By Robert H. Donaldson and Vidya Nadkarni

London: Routledge, 2019, 496 pages, $56.72, ISBN: 9780429449666

 

The Sources of Russian Foreign Policy after
the Cold War

 

Edited by Celeste A. Wallander

New York: Routledge, 2019, 256 pages, $56.72, ISBN: 9780429314650

 

 

Introduction

 

Russia has always held a significant place in global affairs. Ever since the imperial era, it has assumed a prominent role in world politics. Not only because of its material capacity, but also due to its ideology, identity, and influence, Russia has attracted pivotal attention from researchers. Throughout its rich history, its foreign policy has remained one of the most complicated, intriguing, and evolutionary topics to come under investigation. The phenomenon of Russian foreign policy is characterized by both significant and puzzling aspects. From an internal factors’ perspective, domestic politics, interest groups, political elites, institutions, the economy, and culture appear as important as well as very puzzling factors. They all require highly complex and comprehensive explanations. Furthermore, the external factors –foreign threats and security perceptions, polarity in world politics, Western countries, regional and global organizations– are as puzzling and significant as the internal ones. Scholars who aim to understand and explain the dynamics of Russian foreign policy ought to adopt a very broad scope and to some extent need to touch upon each of these aspects.

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