ABSTRACT
Under President Vladimir Putin’s fi rst administration, from 2000 to 2008, Russia devoted its efforts to the “Reconstruction of Great Russia.” 1 During President Dmitry Medvedev’s presidential tenure from 2008 to 2012, Russia shifted its central focus to promoting national growth through a program of “modernization,” which Medvedev defi ned as “transformation into an innovation driven economy.” 2 Putin, who served as prime minister during Medvedev’s presidency, developed a strategic plan that has been called “Putin Plan 2020” by the ruling United Russia Party. Since its publication in 2008, this strategic plan has served as the blueprint for Russia’s mid-and long-term socio-political development plans. Meanwhile, the “Strategy for Russia’s National Security to 2020” has been the basis for Russia’s security plans. According to the so-called Putin Plan, Russia aims to escape from an economic structure that relies heavily on exporting natural resources, particularly oil and gas, and transition into a knowledge-based economy with the goal of ranking among the top fi ve economies in the world and achieving a GDP per capita of at least $30,000. According to the Strategy for Russia’s National Security to 2020, Russia is striving to reorient its foreign policy toward a challenging international environment that is characterized by a nexus between security and economic issues. 3 Putin, who once again took power as president on May 7, 2012, has concentrated more on internal politics with regard to the deteriorating economy and various socio-political pressures for reform. Russia’s diplomatic strategy has paralleled Putin’s focus on internal affairs and the struggling economy. 4
In the geo-political context, Russia has identifi ed its foremost priority as stabilizing and strengthening its position in Eurasia. Russia is working closely with China to balance the post-Cold War United States’ expansion into Eurasia, and has successfully moderated tensions with China over national security issues, both through the multilateral framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the bilateral framework of a strategic partnership. The United States under the second Obama administration
is still in the early stages of a recovery from the 2008 economic crisis, and appears eager to avoid any worsening of relations with Russia. In contrast to foreign policy under the George W. Bush administration, the United States is not striving to project power in Eurasia. The so-called “reset policy” 5 of Obama’s fi rst term was not as successful as his administration had hoped, but the situation does not appear in danger of deteriorating into another Cold War. 6 In addition, although there has been little progress on the issue of a missile defense system, Russia believes that the security threat from Europe has decreased signifi cantly, and enjoys a high level of economic partnership with Europe.
