ABSTRACT
Chapter 7 reviews the contemporary global transition as assessed by Russian realists. In order to focus the review, I have analyzed contemporary writings by International Relations (IR) scholars and conducted a survey of those defined as realist thinkers. These writings concern national security, sovereignty, and stability of the international system. The identified schools within Russian realism – those favoring Russia as a great power challenging the West globally, those advocating Russia's concert with Western especially European powers, and those arguing for Russia's distinctively regional Eurasian power status – propose different ideas with respect to the emerging international system and Russia's role in it. I study their arguments comparatively across the schools. I describe how different schools within Russian realism view the international system and national identity, the country's strategic goals, and foreign policy methods, respectively. While I do not explicitly analyze the position by the Kremlin, I provide some relevant comparisons. Although findings from the survey confirm the identified division within Russian realism, I also register points on which different groups agree thereby forming a national consensus with respect to foreign policy and relations with the West. The analysis sheds light on both the country's international choices and its potential strategic direction.
