The National Security Of Russia

This is an anthology of papers presented at a conference titled "Russian National Security: Perceptions, Policies, and Prospects" conducted from 4-6 December 2000. The book organizes the papers into six sections - The Russian National Security Community, Russia and Europe, Russian Policy Towards the Caucasus and Central Asia, Russia and Asia, Russia and the United States, and Russia's Military Transformation.

2011 Updated Reprint. Updated Annually. Russia National Security and Defense Policy Handbook

This monograph deals with a topic of fundamental importance: how does a country identify its national interests and develop a strategy to pursue them. The author draws an interesting distinction between a National Security Strategy and a National Security Concept. He argues that the latter should encompass a broader range of issues, including society's consensus on such fundamental topics as the proper division of power among both the various branches of government and the diverse levels of federal authority. It also should contain a philosophical dimension relating to the country's past, present, and future role in international affairs. For this reason, several pages of his analysis discuss whether Russia has been undergoing evolution, reform, or a revolution. The manuscript highlights the difficulties that Russians have had in reaching a consensus about their country's proper role in the post-Cold War era. In this, they differ little from the citizens of the United States, the various states of Europe, or the other nations of the world. Since the Gorbachev years, international developments have not dealt kindly with the simple paradigms of how the world works. Politicians, scholars, and interested citizens will undoubtedly continue to grapple with the challenging issue of identifying and ranking national interests for many years to come. (Adapted from Publisher's Abstract).

After a period of relative weakness and isolation during most of the 1990s, Russia is again appearing as a major security player in world politics. This book provides a comprehensive assessment of Russia's current security situation, addressing such questions as: What kind of player is Russia in the field of security? What is the essence of its security policy? What are the sources, capabilities and priorities of its security policy? What are the prospects for the future? One important conclusion to emerge is that, while Russian foreign policy under Putin has become more pragmatic and responsive to both problems and opportunities, the growing lack of checks and balances in domestic politics makes political integration with the West difficult and gives the president great freedom in applying Russia's growing power abroad.

Published in association with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The Putin era saw a striking 'securitization' of politics, something that he has bequeathed to his chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev. The omens from the early days of the Medvedev presidency have been mixed, marked both by less confrontational rhetoric towards the West and by war with Georgia and continued re-armament. Has the Medvedev generation learned the lessons not just from the Soviet era but also from the Yeltsin and Putin presidencies, or will security remain the foundation of Russian foreign and domestic policy? Fully up-to-date to reflect the evolving Medvedev presidency, the 2008 Georgian war and the impact of the economic downturn, this volume is a much needed objective and balanced examination of the ways in which security has played and continues to play a central role in contemporary Russian politics. The combination of original scholarship with extensive empirical research makes this volume an invaluable resource for all students and researchers of Russian politics and security affairs.

Organized crime in Russia has a direct, negative impact on the national security interests of the United States. The U.S. national security interests in Russia include regional stability, development of a free market based economy and control of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. These interests are best served by a viable, democratic government in Russia. With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia began a movement toward democracy. However, the powerful forces of organized crime within Russia and its grip on the domestic economy, is impeding its progress. International solutions to this challenge include greater cooperation among western nations to stem the flow of illegal money and material out of Russia. For its part the United States is developing closer law enforcement ties with the Russian Ministry of Interior. The Federal Bureau of Investigation opened an office in Moscow. Future efforts must be focused on the mutual development of criminal intelligence in order to identify, arrest, and successfully prosecute Russian organized crime figures. In addition the products, goods, and services which Russian organized crime provides to the Russian people must be produced and delivered through the legal Russian market.