Russian policymakers will await new US president
Monday, April 4, 2016
Subject
Russian foreign policy in 2016.
Significance
Russian foreign policy is driven by an amalgam of realpolitik, nationalism and anti-Western ideology, and consists of both defensive and offensive strategies. The robust, confrontational approach championed by President Vladimir Putin in recent years has produced successes in such areas as the military campaign in Syria, but an undecided outcome in Ukraine and mixed results in other parts of the former Soviet Union.
Impacts
- A NATO summit this July may result in a tougher, more coordinated stance on Russia.
- Following its official partial withdrawal from Syria, the Russian military will conduct selective attacks.
- Russia will need careful diplomacy to keep Belarus and Kazakhstan from drifting away as allies.