A Deficit of "Soft Power": Russian Policy in the Post-Soviet Space

In: International affairs: a Russian journal of world politics, diplomacy and international relations, Band 56, Heft 5, S. 97-107

Abstract

The author argues that too often Russia comes across as a country whose economy is a kind of raw material and energy appendage to other states, and thus is critically dependent on other economies. As a result, Russian foreign policy capabilities, both direct (projection of influence based on economic power) and indirect (related to political authority and the effectiveness of the prevailing development model) have declined substantially. Russia needs to build a stronger relationship with neighboring members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In particular, the country needs to cultivate more soft power in the post-Soviet space, where the European Union and the United States are attempting to crowd out Russia's influence. This can be achieved through more grants and scholarships from Russian foundations to students in the CIS, so that Russia can raise a generation of intelligentsia oriented toward Russia's humanitarian, political and cultural identity and values. K. Cargill