Russia has emerged as a new and assertively independent force in world politics, in Europe and Asia, and especially in the other former Soviet states. What are Moscow's foreign policy goals, and who sets them? Internal Factors in Russian Foreign Policy provides the first systematic analysis of the domestic political, military and economic influences that shape Russia's international behaviour.

This book is the first to analyse systematically the internal political forces which condition Russia's international behaviour. Four leading specialists examine in turn the areas of foreign policy thinking and debate, how policy is made, the public politics of foreign policy and the role of the military. Their analyses explore the changing domestic alignments associated with recent shifts in Russian foreign policy, focusing on the roles played by institutions such as the Security Council and the legislature, by military groupings and by emerging economic interests. The book throws new light on the domestic foundations of Moscow's more assertive and self-reliant stance.

useful background information...the volume clearly shows how changing institutional features, instrumental and bureaucratic politics, and power struggles at the domestic level are very significant forces in influencing the direction of foreign policy. This book offers an impressivley detailed empirical analysis that traces the domestic roots of foreign policy during these important formative years. The volume can be highly recommended.