December 22, 2010

At the heart of Russian foreign policy debate today is the question of Russian identity. Who or what is Russia? What does it mean to be Russian?  Is Russia a part of European civilization, a part of Asian civilization or a separate civilization? The answers to these fundamental questions define the spectrum of the foreign policy discourse in Russia and shape the direction of its foreign policy.

This Policy Brief uses Russian identity as a reference point for examining foreign policy schools of thought in Russia. It draws on a series of seminars held in Moscow, Russia, in November 2010. The seminars are part of an international research project called the “Worldviews of Aspiring Powers,” sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation and directed by the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. The Brief examines different foreign policy schools in Russia, compares their assessments of the challenge of rising powers in the Eurasia region, and discusses some of the possible scenarios of future relations between Russia and the other rising powers.

Read the rest of the Policy Brief here (PDF).

By Anna Lowry, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Political Science, Indiana University – Bloomington