"Tsygankov is one of the world's leading analysts of the complexities of Russian foreign policy, and in this volume he makes available, in a concise and easily accessible format, his knowledge distilled from years of study of the subject. He steers a sophisticated path between pro-Western liberal views and various anti-Western Russian nationalist mythologies to provide a convincing and coherent study of the relationship between national identity and foreign policy. A must-read for all serious students of Russian foreign policy and of the country's place in the world." --Richard Sakwa, Professor of Russian and European Politics, University of Kent "This book is based on a profound understanding of how Russian policymakers view the world and the impact of those views on their foreign-policy behavior. It is a must read for scholars, students, and the educated citizenry." --George Breslauer, University of California, Berkeley "A very coherent analysis. There are few studies that so convincingly demonstrate how Russia's foreign policy has been consistently determined in large part by Moscow's relationship and attitudes towards the 'West.' .
An excellent book." -- Seer "[A] well-documented summary of the main directions of Russia's foreign policy from the Gorbachev period through the fifth year of Putin's presidency." -- The Russian Review "Tsygankov (San Francisco State Univ.) provides an accessible, invaluable contribution to the teaching and analysis of Russia's post-Cold War foreign policy. This relatively short book aims to provide both a historic overview and a theoretic framework for analyzing the formation and conceptualization of Russia's national interest, with particular emphasis on Russia's historic and evolving relationship with the West. The book contains a chronology of Russian foreign policy from 1985 to the present, and relies on many original Russian-language sources. The work is divided into eight chapters, with a historic overview, a basic introduction to international relations theory and its implications for understanding Russian foreign policy, as well as chapters on Gorbachev's new thinking, Russia as great-power balancer, Russia as great-power pragmatist, and Russia as an assertive great power. It concludes by analyzing prospects for change and continuity in Russian foreign policy.
Recommended." -- Choice Reviews "Simply the best undergraduate textbook on contemporary Russian foreign policy available today." --Theodore Hopf, National University of Singapore "One of the most exciting younger scholars dealing with postcommunist Russia's foreign policy, Andrei Tsygankov is uniquely qualified to explain some of the lesser-known aspects of Russian politics. His concern for students and his willingness to clarify the complexities of policy formation shine through in a book that will be required reading for all those interested in Russia's international behavior." --Andrzej Korbonski, University of California, Los Angeles "A very accessible text for both instructors and students." --Tina Mavrikos-Adamou, Hofstra University.