Abstract
Russia is the quintessential Eurasian great power, with its vast territory spanning from Europe to East Asia, as well as reaching south geographically and culturally to parts of the Islamic world from the Middle East to the Caspian to Central Asia. Russia’s national identity is bundled up with its unique role as a cultural, political, economic, and strategic link in the heart of Eurasia. However, while traditional Russian (and Soviet) ideologies accentuate the multi-regional character and interests of Moscow, the region that Russia most identifies with and measures itself against is the West—Europe and the United States.