ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses Russia’s NRCs during the Five-Day War with Georgia. It demonstrates that there were important changes in the international and domestic situation during the time leading up to the conflict which influenced shifts in Russia’s dominant NRCs. In addition, it argues that Russia’s self-perception as an increasingly important international player played a crucial role in the state’s redefinition of international responsibilities which resulted in more assertive foreign policy behaviour, exemplified by the intervention in Georgia. However, the analysis also demonstrates that Russian leaders did not use the most assertive NRCs before the war. Consequently, frequent references to these roles after the war imply their strategic use by the leadership to justify Russia’s actions both domestically and, especially, internationally.
