Over the past three years we have seen a significant evolution in Russia’s foreign policy, specifically in its approach towards the west – a transformation that has become especially evident in the wake of September 11 2001. It is less clear, however, whether this pro-western ‘strategic choice’ can be sustained in the longer term.
For many, the answer is linked to President Vladimir Putin’s political survival and ability to promote a cooperative international agenda over the misgivings of the elite. Russian and Soviet history is littered with examples of well-motivated policies falling by the wayside as first the will of the leader, and then his authority, is eroded by an array of political and institutional obstacles.
