ABSTRACT
Soviet foreign policy appears at first glance to be a continuation of traditional Russian expansionist politics. The continuity between aims and Tsarist policies is evident primarily in a shared geographical focus, as well as in a common drive for open waters. While Soviet foreign policy is characterized by the tension between traditional Russian expansionist politics and international communist goals, the overriding policy determinant remains the power interests of the regime. The dictatorial-bureaucratic system in the Soviet Union is monopolistic; the ruling power elite is independent of parliamentary control, of the rules of the law, and of any limitations imposed by public opinion. The Soviet Union's expansionist tendencies and its drive to alter the international correlation of forces in its own favor by no means signal an automatic acceptance of military conflict or a quest for military expansion.
