Introduction
The Research Programme on Russia in
the Regional and Global Context of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs
analyses Russian political evolution and country's interaction with the
neighbouring states and international actors.
Russian
Internal Political Developments and Foreign Policy Thinking
Inter-linkages between Russia's
internal developments and its foreign policy are increasingly important. To
illustrate the point, the concept of 'sovereign democracy' does not refer only
to the domestic field but it also has explicit foreign policy implications that
are bundled together with domestic political goals and discourses.
Comprehensive understanding of Russia's
internal processes, structures and actors is becoming essential when analysing
and predicting Russia's
foreign policy trajectory.
Russia and
the West
Russia's
relations with the West are analysed in particular from the European
perspective. European actors can never escape Russia's
strategic importance for them and hence they will need to find ways to engage
even with a more assertive and uncompromising Russia. The programme assesses
European and western policies towards Russia,
Russia's
policies towards the western actors, and institutionalized cooperation between
them.
Russia and
the New 'Europe-in-Between'
Russia's
relationship with Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova
and Georgia - the countries
that are located between Russia
and the enlarged EU and NATO - is crucially important for the overall balance
in Europe. The region seems to be displaying
differing policy orientations, which creates tensions between Russia and the
EU. Regional interdependency and competition, political changes and ethnic
conflicts make the equation extremely challenging.
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