While Russia is not likely to emerge as North Korea, or even Belarus, it is likely that the state will continue to engage in a complex strategy of repression to maintain its position.
Every representative political system depends on trust. The same is true for relations between polities. Yet, very little research has been done to understand why it is that we trust others and what those findings could mean for International Relations.
Russia is intent on proving itself relevant on the global stage. In an age when attention is shifting to the East and the South, Russia is positioning itself as a central, non-Western, power.
Even as Russia and China have been presenting a united front on a whole host of global issues in recent months, the underlining sense of mistrust that has long pervaded the bilateral relationship is becoming more acute. Competition in Asia is likely to persist.
Unipolarity is ending quicker than most imagined. If unipolarity was as prevalent now as it was in the 1990s, Russia would likely not challenge the United States over Syria.
The conflict in Syria has gone beyond the point of no return. The rules of the game are Hama Rules; the regime views the contest in terms of us or them.
The political positioning of Russia as a European country has never been seriously challenged in Russian political discourse, which asserts Russia as a European country in terms of its history, culture and identity. Yet, relations with European countries are marked by a series of crises.
Russia has a role to play as the regional leader of the Eurasian Union, and perhaps of the former Soviet space. Putin pragmatically recognises the importance of the Soviet Union’s legacy.
Peter Tomsen has provided a comprehensive account of Afghanistan’s recent conflicts and illuminates aspects of this history in ways that only he could really achieve.
Russia’s Balkans strategy is one of deterrence. It will maintain a high-profile denial of Kosovo’s independence and attempt to block the new nation from the international stage.
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