Russian Foreign Policy: from “New Thinking” to New Strategic Thinking

Abstract

While studying the changes in the conceptual foundations of Russian foreign policy from its inception to the present day, an important place is occupied by the systematization of factors, circumstances and trends that predetermined the beginning of overcoming mistakes and errors of the 90s and the transition to its doctrinal sovereignty. The collapse of the USSR became the litmus test of the attitude of the West, primarily the USA, to the new Russia. Having no historical precedent, such a swift — overnight — reverse formation leap from «real socialism» to real capitalism, and by no means the expected transition from confrontational bipolarity to monopolistic unipolarity, predetermined the hopes of B. Yeltsin and his immediate circle for the elimination of past geopolitical antagonisms, high expectations regarding the readiness of the collective West, led by the United States, for an equal dialogue with Russia. That clearly emerged with the regard to the elaboration of the first conceptual model of the foreign policy of Russia in 1993 that in a number of basic parameters had a pronounced american-centric character. The idea of the “westernization” of the foreign policy activity of Russia was pushed primarily by the liberal circles as a panacea for the elimination of the ideological and political pillars of the Soviet system, overcoming the deepest social and economic crisis with the hope, and even with the conviction that the «benevolent hegemon» of the United States and the West as a whole «will help us». The author proceeds from the fact that referring to the sources of the formation of the conceptual base of international activity of Russia, taking into account underestimated or, conversely, overestimated factors, is of great practical importance for updating and optimizing the foreign policy strategy of our country, improving the work of Russian diplomacy and increasing its effectiveness in the fight against new international challenges and threats.