Misunderstanding Russia: Russian foreign policy and the West

1. Introduction : Russian foreign policy as a complex phenomenon -- 2. Ideological foundations of Russian foreign policy -- 3. Analysis of key foreign policy documents of Russian Federation -- 4. The West as most significnt "other" in Russian foreign policy -- 5. With the West, against the West, with China for a great Russia -- 6. Conclusion : Russia under construction.

Well argued and balanced, Leichtova provides an alternative and more constructive understanding of what drives Russian foreign policy. The book is based on the concepts of constructivism and orientalism in international relations to analyse the policies of the Russian Federation. This book highlights that Russian foreign policy is a complex phenomenon constructed from internal as well as external developments, perceptions and expectations. At the same time, it also highlights that Western states are the most significant Other in construction of the Russian foreign policy and even Russian identity and, at the same time, actively create an 'image of Russia' in international politics which is widely based on their own Western assumptions about the country. The author introduces the reader to an alternate portrayal of relations between Russia and the West which all analysts should take into consideration before drawing conclusions