Aspirations to Great Power Status: Russia’s Path to Assertiveness in the International Arena under Putin
| Date | 01 February 2017 |
| DOI | 10.1177/1478929915623967 |
| Published date | 01 February 2017 |
| Author | Cristian Nitoiu |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1478929915623967
Political Studies Review
2017, Vol. 15(1) 39 –48
© The Author(s) 2016
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DOI: 10.1177/1478929915623967
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Aspirations to Great Power
Status: Russia’s Path to
Assertiveness in the
International Arena
under Putin
Cristian Nitoiu
Abstract
This article focuses on the literature developed in the last few years on Russia’s foreign policy
by exploring six books which can be thought as representative: two general books on Russian
foreign policy, one that focuses on security and intervention, another on Russia’s soft power
and influence in the post-Soviet space, and two others on Russia’s relationship with the West.
There is an underlying idea in the six books that Russian foreign policy has been deeply marked
by Putin’s leadership. Russia’s foreign policy has been continuously evolving since 2000 towards
assertiveness, through which Putin has aimed to regain Russia’s lost status of being a great power.
In the last few years and especially since Putin came to power for the third time, there has been
a proliferation of books on Russian foreign policy. The value of the six books lies in the way they
chart the path towards assertiveness in Putin’s quest to put Russia again on the map as a great
power.
Allison R (2013) Russia, the West, and Military Intervention. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
De Haas M (2011) Russia’s Foreign Security Policy in the 21st Century: Putin, Medvedev and Beyond.
Abingdon: Routledge.
Gvosdev NK and Marsh C (2013) Russian Foreign Policy: Interests, Vectors, and Sectors. Los Angeles,
CA: CQ Press.
Leichtova M (2014) Misunderstanding Russia: Russian Foreign Policy and the West. Farnham, MD:
Ashgate.
Sherr J (2013) Hard Diplomacy and Soft Coercion: Russia’s Influence Abroad. London: Royal Institute
for International Affairs/Chatham House.
Tsygankov AP (2012) Russia and the West from Alexander to Putin: Honor in International Relations.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Keywords
Russia, Putin, foreign policy, assertiveness, great power
Accepted: 16 October 2015
London School of Economics and Political Science IDEAS, London, UK
Corresponding author:
Cristian Nitoiu, London School of Economics and Political Science IDEAS, Tower 1, 9th and 10th Floors,
Clement’s Inn, London WC2A 2AZ, UK.
Email: c.nitoiu@outlook.com
623967PSW0010.1177/1478929915623967Political Studies ReviewNitoiu
research-article2016
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