Russian Foreign Policy at the Crossroads
These phrases accurately reflect the current understanding of the country's position in the world by the Russian political elite. In the present article I will elaborate a little bit along these lines in an appropriate historical context, substantiating it with an explanation of the main axes of the Russian foreign policy and its aims. It is worth doing because the Russian people's sincere desire is to live in a friendly, peaceful and prosperous environment and to contribute to its creation. That is why Russia is doomed to partnership and closer relations with all those who cherish the same hopes and ideals.
Russia as a world player
To understand how Russia perceives itself and its future role in world politics, you should take into account the fact that Russian civilization is more than a millennium old. Russia is the direct inheritor of the Roman-Byzantium tradition. There are a lot of glorious events in its history. Through enormous sacrifices Russia won World War II and achieved victory over fascism together with the allied forces. It opened up the era of space exploration for mankind. It made a major contribution to world and European culture by masterpieces of Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Chaikovsky, Malevich and many others.
Geographically, Russia is the biggest and richest country in the world. It possesses enormous resources of pure drinking water, boundless woods and treasures of the soil. Its depths contain, inter alia, one third of the Earth's deposits of natural gas so much needed by the world economy. The Russian territory stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic and Black Seas, from the subtropics to almost the North Pole. It provides overland links between East and Central Asia and Europe.
Historically, geographically and culturally, Russia's geopolitical interests have always been in good mutually beneficial relations with neighboring countries, peace and political stability around its borders, which means almost everywhere. Russia counts among its neighbours and next-door states the USA, China, India, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Caucasian countries, Turkey, Ukraine and the European Union. It has no other choice but to pursue a multi-vector foreign policy.
In search of modern statehood and innovative market economy
Led by Mikhail Gorbachev and then by Boris Eltzin, the Russian people accomplished an outstanding feat in the late 1980-s: they dealt a fatal blow to the totalitarian regime, regained the country from more than seven decades of communist rule and returned it to the family of democratic nations. Thus, they put an end to the horrors of the cold war and eliminated the threat of mutual nuclear destruction. To put it bluntly, the Russian people saved the world and paved the way for a better peaceful life. They did it voluntarily and willfully, overthrowing oppressive political regime and dismantling the socialist camp and the former Soviet Union. They did it following the logic of internal revolutionary development.
Unfortunately, neither the Russian leaders and political elite, nor the Russian people could capitalize on these major achievements and gratitude which other nations should have had to them. First of all, they did not know how to do it. They did not enter into any prearranged agreements with their former enemies expecting that when you join the family you must be treated accordingly, and in a fair and generous way. Secondly, the transition from the planned to a market economy, as well as the collapse of the Soviet Union, created a total mess for Russia and turned out to be an unbelievable disaster. For many years Russia was plunged into the deepest economic and existential crisis you could ever imagine.
That is why the US and EU claims that they won the cold war and can now impose the rules of the game on others and be the judges of other nations' good or bad behavior are perceived in Russia as lies, unprovoked offence and undeserved ingratitude. It is believed in Russia that rewriting the true history is aimed at depriving Russia of the acknowledgment of its sacrifices, of profound respect for its people and policy and reward for all the good things Russians have done for the benefit of mankind and Western civilization. It is assumed that the reason for this is to have a free hand in world politics.
The last few years showed why the USA and the EU need “a free hand” and how they intend to use it. Russia lost hundreds of billions of dollars, so much needed for its economy, which flew to the West. Brain drain achieved an unprecedented level. A whole generation of Russian scientists and young scholars left the country. Instead of creating a safer world with Russian participation and the Greater Europe comprising Russia, its new Western partners enlarged NATO and the EU as far as they could, launched a new wave of regional wars around the Globe, nearly dismantled the existing system of arms control and tried to advance their unilateral interests everywhere.
The USA and EU taught the Russian political elite a severe lesson. The new Russian leaders learned it perfectly well. They did their best to regain power and influence in order to protect their country and their personal interests and to prove that Russia deserves to be treated like an equal by other major world players. They succeeded in doing that. To explain to others that Russia is back on the world scene, has its own national interests and is now well equipped with hard and soft economic power tools, they had to insist on their positions, to raise their voices too loudly and even to exaggerate and impose themselves.
This controversial chapter in Russian modern history can be turned over. Everybody is convinced now that the years of Russia's post-cold– war decline are over. Russia's world role is reasserted. The country is ready to withstand any pressure, to express openly its position on any international challenges, including Iran, Kosovo and arms control, and advance solutions considered by its political elite fair, appropriate and beneficial for their country and other nations. Nowadays, Russia has done away with the legacy and policy of the former Soviet Union and has emerged out of severe trials as a market economy state aspiring for modernity and upholding universally recognized values.
It's high time for the Russian new leadership to come to grips with numerous problems of the country and the world in close cooperation with other players, to proceed with new rapprochement and to create allies.
Main postulate of Russian foreign policy
Russia strongly opposes unilateral use of military force or threat of force as a tool of reshaping the modern world order or imposing one's own will on other nations. It firmly believes that confrontational policies belong to the past and must never be repeated as they lead to nowhere. The same is true of the policy of arms build-up, especially in the outer space.
Russia made its unequivocal choice in favor of international cooperation, fair and peaceful management of bilateral, regional and world affairs, multilateral and pre-emptive diplomacy, search for mutually beneficial solutions and culture of compromise.
But it insists that cooperation must be deeply rooted in international law. Any kind of behavior contradicting international law should be prohibited. International law must be treated as an indispensable basis of world order and foreign policy of any country. In this sense, Russia has resumed the course of foreign policy which led it to convene more than a century ago the First and Second Hague Peace Conferences laying down the foundations of contemporary international law.
At the same time, Russia is of the opinion that there are compromises and the so-called “compromises”. In no way should they cover oppression, subjugation and loss of sovereign rights or independence in the implementation of internal policy, as well as in world politics. They should not be used to legitimize double standards of any kind.
Russia views itself as a consistent proponent of democratic world order. It considers that the key role in ensuring international peace and security, economic development and human rights belongs to the UN. To replace the UN by closed-type international structures is unlawful. Russian diplomacy will endeavor to invigorate the UN and restore worldwide trust in its activities.
Main axes of Russian foreign policy
Having achieved the aims of economic and financial stabilization, the Russian government and private business are now launching long– awaited programs of economic modernization, structural diversification and innovative development of the country. Constructive and creative foreign policy, tightening of economic ties with all countries, promotion of free flows of capital and diversified integration projects, as well as accession to the WTO, are viewed in this context as natural means for supporting the implementation of these programs.
More than ever before, the Russian political elite gives prominence to transforming the country and making its policies more attractive to ordinary people, national and foreign businessmen and other countries. For Russia, the dialogue of civilizations is a matter of day-to-day life. It is indispensable for ensuring peace and stability inside the country and beyond its borders.
Anybody can trust Russia as a reliable and strong partner in the common struggle against nuclear arms proliferation, international terrorism, organized crime, drugs trafficking, unlawful migration, and climate change. But the list of global challenges faced by Russia and other nations should be extended to comprise, inter alia, stabilization of world finances.
In regional terms, Russia intends to expand its ties with the CIS countries and increase investment in the common economic area and similar projects. Deepening the relations with the East Asian nations and improving the relations with the USA and Japan is also very important in this context. One of the main priorities is strategic partnership with the EU, not barely in word but truly in deed. Russia is willing to have as close relationship with the EU as the EU is ready for.
As a member of the UN, G8 and other international and regional fora, Russia will try to use its newly acquired influence for contributing to the Middle East peace process, settlement of other international and internal conflicts, development aid and international law efficiency.
New windows of opportunity are open now and Russia and its partners must not fail to use them in a proper way.
* GORBACHEV Mikhail. Time to modernize // International Herald Tribune, March 5, 2008. – P. 8.
© Prof. Mark L. Entin