This book examines Russia’s security policy under the eight years of Vladimir Putin’s presidency.

This book provides a detailed analysis of the evolution of Russia’s security policy. Based on extensive original research, including an analysis of official documents, political and military elite speeches, interviews, and reports, and considering the subject from the early twentieth century onwards, the book evaluates how far Russia’s security policy is underpinned by “strategic asymmetry” – the acceptance by Russia of its inferior military position, and the pursuit of its strategic aims through the application of a variety of methods, military and non-military, including the manipulation of public opinion, the use of economic leverage and external security approaches - known as Russia’s “hybrid war operations” - to gain the advantage over a militarily and economically superior adversary. The book discusses how Russia’s security policy has been and is being applied in specific cases, including the present war in Ukraine, the Russian anti-satellite program and Russia’s contemporary Afghan policy. The aim of the book is to explain how and why Russia uses different security strategies and methods using these three cases.

Introduction: Russian Foreign Policy in the 21st Century-- R.E.Kanet History, Russia and the West, and Cold Wars-- P.Shearman Aims and Means in Russian Foreign Policy-- I.Oldberg Russian Modernization Pathways: Foreign Policy Implications-- G.Herd Assessing Russia's 'Soft Power' in a Globalising World-- V.Rukavishnikov Russia and Georgia: From Confrontation to War. What is Next?-- B.Nygren EU as Peace Mediator in Georgia: Success or Failure?-- T.Forsberg Russia's new 'Monroe Doctrine'-- M.Skak Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus after the Georgia Conflict-- C.E.Ziegler Medvedev's 'Fourteen Points': Russia's Proposal for a New European Security Architecture-- N.Lomagin From the 'New World Order' to 'Resetting Relations': Two Decades of U.S.-Russian Relations-- R.E.Kanet Russia, NATO Enlargement, and 'Regions of Privileged Interests'-- J.Berryman Revising the EU's European Neighbourhood Policy: The Eastern Partnership and Russia-- J.DeBardeleben EU, Russia, Energy: Cooperation or Conflict?-- S.Nies Conclusion-- R.E.Kanet.

This book addresses the issue of international security after the end of the Cold War. It looks at the key changes that have taken place since 1989, analyzes the main problems and issues today, and comes up with trends that are likely to shape international security policy in the coming decades. The book contains two different kinds of studies. In the first part, three leading research institutes offer their views on the development of post-Cold War international security policy. These comprehensive surveys are authored by Mats Berdal (International Institute for Strategic Studies), Curt Gasteyger (Graduate Institute of International Studies) and Gregory F. Treverton, Marten van Heuven and Andrew E. Manning (RAND). The second part comprises case studies that focus on future challenges in European and American Security Policy. Contributions are made by renowned experts such as John Lewis Gaddis, William I. Hitchcock, Fred Tanner, Pál Dunay, Victor-Yves Ghebali, André Liebich, Yuri Nazarkin, and William C. Wohlforth. The book concludes with a comparative analysis by the editors who attempt to identify discernible security trends and to raise those unsettled questions whose resolution will be decisive for the development of international security in the 21st century.