ABSTRACT
In reality, the world does not lend itself to a dichotomy between unipolar and multipolar. Vladimir Putin's first two presidential terms coincided with the emergence of global terrorism as one of the dominant issues of international politics. Putin also appeared to have a steadier hand on institutional and personnel arrangements related to foreign policy. There was a remarkable contrast with Yeltsin in the continuity in Putin's government. Putin's instinctive response to Western pressure in the CIS, was the threat of new 'color' revolutions in Central Asia, was geopolitical. The second Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on Iran resolved none of the fundamental problems between Iran and those seeking to stop nuclear proliferation. Russia has always opposed ballistic missile defense, from the time of Gorbachev and his opposition to the 'star wars' proposal of Ronald Reagan. The crisis in Ukraine appeared to scuttle yet another opportunity to rescue their relations and to broaden their cooperation.
