ABSTRACT

This chapter builds on the Introduction to this volume and Robert Legvold’s contributions by exploring in greater detail some of the key themes signalled in the two preceding chapters. The centrality of a ‘great-power concert’ in multilateralism as practised by Russia is discussed further, and the tensions between instrumental versus principled multilateralism highlighted. This includes underlining the dualism in Russia’s approaches to multilateralism through examination of regional (CSTO, SCO, CIS) and global (UN) multilateral initiatives. The chapter also assesses its tangible contributions to multilateral initiatives, as in international peacekeeping, and notes general trends, such as Russian concerns about proper acknowledgement and recompense for its efforts at the international level.