ABSTRACT
A constant theme underlying Russia's foreign relations is the quest for world recognition of Russia's supremacy in world affairs. Russia's relations with the former Soviet republics since the collapse of the Soviet Union are essentially the same as they were for the several centuries preceding their breakaway in the early 1990s. Soft power in foreign policy is the use of tactics that enable a nation to achieve desired political results without the use of intimidation by the threat or actual exercise of an armed incursion. Russia's reaction to the May 1, 2004 admission of ten new members to the EU and the admission of many Eastern European nations to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) reflects its return to aggressive approach to foreign policy. While the aggressive foreign policy followed by Russia from the 2012 return to power of Vladimir Putin has been blunted somewhat by events beyond his control, the imperialistic threat he represents has not been eliminated.
