Thoughts on Russia

Abstract

This article addresses the question of the use of force and nuclear threat as foreign policy instruments. It speculates how Russia’s historical formation conditioned it for a latent antagonism toward Europe and for a persistent propensity, in either of its identities – imperial or Soviet – to build a defensive area of influence around its borders. These elements are visible in the old debate between Slavophile and Europeanist currents, with an inevitable political impact on its decision-making process. Finally, the paper examines the likely consequences of the war on the current international political order.