Foreign policy belief systems of post-Soviet Russian elite

The dissertation approaches the task of analyzing the processes of formation of post-Soviet Russian foreign policy from the cognitive perspective. It examines the spectrum of post-Soviet Russian elite foreign policy belief systems. Each belief system in considered as including two types of beliefs: images and policy preferences. The images include first, the view of the nature of the contemporary international system, its major trends and driving forces; second, the view of Russia's place in the international system, of the nature of Russia's strengths and weaknesses as an international actor. The typology of the belief systems is based on an indicator which permeates both of these sets of images--the attitude to the "West," i.e. the leading industrialized nations. The dissertation's classification includes three major belief systems: pro-Western, centrist (or realist), and anti-Western. The dissertation demonstrates that within each of these belief systems a strong correlation exists between the images of Russia and the world and policy preferences. The policy preferences are examined in two areas: first, Russia's policy toward the newly independent states (the former Soviet republics), specifically, Russia's role in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the attitude to the re-integration of the post-Soviet area, and the ethnic minorities problem; second, Russia's policy toward the West, specifically, the relations with the United States and the approach to European security. The primary sources analyzed in the dissertation include a broad range of books, articles, and speeches by Russian politicians, scholars, and journalists.