Not by Bread Alone

For a decade after its independence, Russia has struggled with the growing pains of defining its role in the international system. Since Vladimir Putin ascended to power in 2000, the country has undertaken grandiose foreign policy projects to clearly delineate its place among the world's superpowers. In "Russian Foreign Policy under Putin," author Robert Nalbandov provides thorough coverage of the milestones of Russia's foreign policy since the turn of the 21st century with a focus on regional context. This framework provides a new way to view the specifics of foreign policy goals, engagement practices, and tools used by Putin's administration in promoting Russia's vital national and strategic interests in specific geographic locations, and illuminates Putin's foreign policy goal of reinstituting Russian strategic dominance in all parts of the globe. Furthermore, Nalbandov examines the identity-based politics that dominate Putin's tenure and how Russia's east/west split is reflected in Asian/European politics.Overall, these identity politics have a large part to play in dictating Russian foreign policy and political culture that has been developed and molded for generations. This political culture is also highly influenced by unchecked domestic power that is not derived from the people, an almost exclusive application of hard power both domestically and abroad, and a determined ambition for unabridged global influence and a defined place as a world superpower. "Russian Foreign Policy under Putin" explores these and other significant dimensions that drive Russia's interactions around the globe.