Russian Federation: International Relations Essay

Introduction

Russia has extremely rich history with citizens being highly patriotic and proud of their state. Even the historical events which it has gone through, such as two World Wars, numerous revolutions, collapse of the Soviet Union, incessant war with Chechnya, recent war with Georgia, etc, were unable to subdue this state’s might and Russian people’s devotion and commitment to their motherland. These days Russia is a powerful state which actively participates in international affairs and has membership in numerous international organizations including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, International Atomic Energy Organization, The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, World Trade Organization, and others. Despite all its power and the fact that it is “the EU’s largest neighbor”¹, Russia has never attempted to enter the European Union. One of the main reasons for this is that the country does not share a strategic vision with the members of the European Union.²

Main Body

Russia is subjected to constant impact on the part of the rest of the world. Its relations with other countries and the impact of the international political economic system on the state’s foreign policy can be best of all traced through Russia’s participation in international organizations and its foreign policy objectives. The research discussing these issues is going to demand review and analysis of numerous sources. Some of the sources which seem to be relevant so far are Russia and the European Union: Prospects for a New Relationship by Oksana Antonenko and Kathryn Pinnick, The foreign policy of Russia: changing systems, enduring interests by Robert Donaldson, Joseph Nogee which provides description and explanation of Russia’s foreign policy,³ as well as emphasizes that “in many respects, Russian foreign policy has been similar to that of other great powers, and in other respects it has been unique”,⁴ and Russia between East and West: Russian foreign policy on the threshold of the twenty-first century by Gabriel Gorodetsky which investigates Russia’s “multipolar path for the evolution of international relations”⁵ and evaluates the possibilities to pursue national interests which the world countries, including Russia, have obtained with globalization⁶. Other sources may also include Vladimir Putin and the evolution of Russian foreign policy by Bobo Lo due to its discussing Russia’s attitude towards world-concerning events, such as September 11 attack⁷ and analyzing the country’s opportunities to “become fully integrated with the developed West”.⁸ One more source is Small nations and great powers: a study of ethnopolitical conflict in the Caucasus by Svante Cornell; it is quite valuable for it explores major phases of Russian policy⁹ and analyzes “the formulation of Russian foreign policy towards the Newly Independent States of the former USSR”.¹⁰

Conclusion

These, however, are only tentative sources with the eventual number of them being greater. Scholarly articles related to the topic will also be researched, as well as governmental websites will be consulted. The information obtained from the sources will be thoroughly evaluated and shaped into a coherent research focusing on the peculiarities of the Russian foreign policy and the issues related to it.

Works Cited

Antonenko, Oksana and Pinnick, Kathryn. Russia and the European Union: Prospects for a New Relationship. New York and London: Routledge, 2005.

Cornell, Svante E. Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus. New York and London: Routledge, 2001.

Donaldson, Robert H. and Nogee, Joseph L. The Foreign Policy of Russia: Changing Systems, Enduring Interests. New York: M. E. Sharpe, 2005.

Gorodetsky, Gabriel. Russia between East and West: Russian Foreign Policy on the Threshold of the Twenty-First Century. New York and London: Routledge, 2003.

Lo, Bobo. Vladimir Putin and the Evolution of Russian Foreign Policy. New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2003.

Footnotes

1. Oksana Antonenko and Kathryn Pinnick. Russia and the European Union: Prospects for a New Relationship (New York and London: Routledge, 2005), 1.
2. Antonenko and Pinnick 129
3. Donaldson, Robert H. and Nogee, Joseph L. The Foreign Policy of Russia: Changing Systems, Enduring Interests (New York: M. E. Sharpe, 2005), 3.
4. Donaldson and Nogee 3.
5. Gabriel Gorodetsky. Russia between East and West: Russian Foreign Policy on the Threshold of the Twenty-First Century (New York and London: Routledge, 2003), 3.
6. Gorodetsky 5.
7. Bobo Lo. Vladimir Putin and the Evolution of Russian Foreign Policy (New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2003), 115.
8. Lo 116.
9. Svante E. Cornell. Small Nations and Great Powers: A Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict in the Caucasus (New York and London: Routledge, 2001), 334.
10. Cornell 334.