earticle

영어

This paper examines Russia’s enduring interests, their influence on the formulation of contemporary Russian policy and their use in indicating Russia’s likely future behaviour. Using information presented in academic and government literature, this paper concludes that Russia has many important interests which have remained consistent for several centuries despite the political storms that have assailed the country during that time. It further concludes that, despite high expectations in the West that Russia would transition to a full liberal democracy in the post- Cold War period, Russians themselves seem to prefer authoritarian rule and, therefore, the West should neither expect a full transition to a liberal democracy nor cajole Russia into becoming one.