ABSTRACT
In 1996, the President sent the Federal Assembly a message on national security of Russia, which touched upon some basic Russian national interests. The Concept proceeds from the assumption that the situation in the international arena is the increasing trend towards a multipolar world. The key national interests of Russia, apart from those of the preservation of sovereignty and national integrity, lie in the economic sphere. The basic human right, proclaimed in the Russian Constitution, namely to a decent living, is actually unavailable to the great majority of the working people of “the reconstructed democratic Russia”. The main aim of the Treaty was to uphold Russia’s statehood and cohesion on the basis of a federal arrangement. The compromise Treaty represented a hodgepodge of sometimes contradictory pledges and promises designed to satisfy the demands of various political forces of Russia. The most sacred of Russia’s vital national interests that of the preservation of the country’s unity, was thrown overboard.
