The end of the cold war in 1989 and 1990 appeared without warning. The upheavals that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall were dramatic. Within less than one year since November 9, 1989 the three Baltic states declared their independence from the Soviet Union (S.U.) as did Uzbekistan, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. Finally, on October 3, 1990 Germany announced its reunification. At the beginning of 1992, the S.U. ceased to exist. In place of the Soviet empire, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was established, bringing together eleven of the fifteeni constituent republics of the S.U. Having constituted the dominant republic of the S.U. and being regarded as its successor state, the Russian Federation had suddenly lost its status as a superpower and its role as a competitor, ideological and political, of the United States of America (USA/U.S.).
However, and 15 years afer the end of the S.U., this essay will argue, the USA is not in a position to influence Russia’s domestic behaviour in a way that is coherent with its liberal foreign policy doctrine. Strategic interests and internal as well as external constraints are the reasons why the U.S. has abandoned many of its foreign policy objectives in regard to Russia. In order to develop this argument, the first part of the paper will shortly outline U.S.-Russia relations since the end of the cold war. Then, the current underpinnings of U.S. policy towards Russia will be analysed. Particularly, the reasons for America’s non-engagement approach will be addressed
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- I. Introduction
- II. Base Lines of U.S. – Russia Relations Since the End of the Cold War
- II A. The Administration under George Herbert Walker Bush
- II B. The Administration under William Jefferson Clinton
- II C. The Administration under George Walker Bush
- III. Russia becomes Autocratic (again): Waiting for the Liberal Empire
- III A. Russia’s Setback Concerning Political and Economic Liberalism
- III B. Current Underpinnings of U.S. Foreign Policy Towards Russia
- III C. The Attention Deficit or: where is the Empire?
- III D. The constrained Empire
- IV. Conclusions
- V. Notes
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay analyzes the U.S. foreign policy towards the Russian Federation since the end of the Cold War, particularly focusing on the current non-engagement approach of the U.S. administration. The essay argues that strategic interests and internal as well as external constraints prevent the U.S. from effectively implementing its liberal foreign policy doctrine towards Russia. The paper explores the reasons for the U.S. disengagement and examines the constraints on its ability to influence Russia's domestic behavior.
- The evolution of U.S.-Russia relations since the end of the Cold War, under different presidential administrations.
- The U.S. focus on security concerns and its shift away from promoting democratic and economic reforms in Russia.
- The internal and external constraints that limit the U.S. ability to influence Russia's domestic development.
- The challenge of Russia's authoritarian turn and the U.S. role as a constrained liberal empire.
- The importance of understanding the relative strength of the Russian state and the U.S. need to balance its values with pragmatic security concerns.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction provides context by discussing the dramatic geopolitical changes following the end of the Cold War and the emergence of the U.S. as the sole superpower. It outlines the shift in U.S. foreign policy towards Russia, moving from containment and deterrence to a more nuanced approach.
Chapter II examines the evolution of U.S.-Russia relations since the end of the Cold War, highlighting the different priorities and approaches of the Bush and Clinton administrations. The Bush administration focused on managing the end of the Cold War in a way that safeguarded American security interests. The Clinton administration, particularly during its first term, emphasized Russia's internal transformation and integration into Western structures, but gradually retreated from this active engagement approach.
Chapter III delves into the current underpinnings of U.S. foreign policy towards Russia, focusing on Russia's setback in regard to democratic and economic liberalism. The chapter analyzes the reasons behind the U.S. shift to a security-oriented partnership with Russia. It explores the impact of the 'attention deficit' in U.S. foreign policy and the constraints faced by the U.S. in attempting to shape Russia's domestic behavior.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This essay focuses on the evolving U.S. foreign policy towards Russia, examining key themes such as Cold War legacies, U.S. security interests, democratic and economic reforms, the rise of autocratic tendencies in Russia, strategic constraints, the 'attention deficit', the U.S. role as a constrained liberal empire, and the balance between values and pragmatism in foreign policy. Important concepts explored include nuclear deterrence, containment, détente, regime building, strategic partnership, non-proliferation, human rights violations, economic globalisation, and relative state power.
- Citation du texte
- Michael Hofmann (Auteur), 2006, US foreign policy towards the Russian Federation: The constrained Empire, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/75610
