Russia-United States relations under Yeltsin, 1992--1999

The relationship between Russia and the United States is one of the most important inter-state relationships in the post-Cold War era. The former Cold War superpowers have navigated a strategic relationship that has been characterized by both cooperation and conflict throughout the 1990's and beyond. For their part, Western scholars studying this relationship have tended to view Russian foreign policy toward the United States as reactionary; however, given the magnitude of Russia's political transformation, there are numerous domestic factors that inform any understanding of its foreign policy.; This thesis contends that, under Yeltsin, a number of domestic influences on foreign policy, taken together, better explain Russian policy toward the United States in two key strategic areas: its opposition to NATO expansion and its management of the joint arms control regime with Washington. The thesis finds that among the most critical of these influences were weak foreign policy institutions, strong leadership, the absence of a domestic consensus on Russia's role in the new world order, especially one dominated by its former enemy, and Yeltsin's willingness and propensity to use the tools at his disposal to dominate the policy process where possible, to advance his agenda.; In light of recent challenges to Russia-U.S. relations in the new millennium, an understanding of its Russian influences in its formative years is necessary and useful for students seeking a more comprehensive understanding of the strategic relationship into the future.