ABSTRACT
In the immediate post-Soviet years, multilateralism was seen an important instrument in Russian foreign policy to ameliorate some of the ‘risks and pain of standing in the shadow of others’.1 Both Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin consistently professed a deep attachment to the principles of multilateralism. However,multilateralism as a concept, value and strategy inRussian foreign policy has seldom been assessed in its own right or from a comparative perspective. The contributions in this book examineRussia’s engagement inmultilateral institutions in both the former Soviet space and on a broader or global scale. The primary focus is on this engagement under thePutin presidency, althoughbroader historical trends and key moments are also identified.
