Russia-a new empire under construction the Russian policy towards former communist satellites-mechanisms of exertion of influence

Abstract

The bankruptcy of the communist ideology left Russia in an uncomfortable position at the top of falling Empire. This new geopolitical reality had demanded redefinition of the Russian national interests and goals. Recovering from the shock of the lost Cold War lasted in Russia almost a decade, and was symbolically ended when the old and ailing President Yeltsin was replaced by young and active Putin. Under President Putin the Russian policy adopted some characteristics of radical nationalism, neo-imperialism and Great Power sentiments. This thesis examines how the Russian foreign policy strategy was developed and used as a tool for exertion of influence over the post-communist states, particularly Poland, Ukraine, and Georgia. The Balance of Power model of international relations serves as the theoretical framework to draw conclusion from the research, and to formulate some policy recommendations for the examined countries. Each case study is organized around evaluation of four dimensions of state power, namely diplomacy, information, military, and economy (DIME). The adopted approach to assess these four fields assumes that there are both conventional and unconventional mechanisms used by Russia in each of these fields.