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.

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).

"Increasingly, the armed forces and a vision of security as emphasizing hard rather than soft security have come to the fore in Moscow's national security policy process. Due to this institutionally-driven vision, Russia sees itself facing increasing military-political and strategic threats all along its frontiers. Recent Russian policies reflect that perception and Moscow's adaptation to it. We may think this threat perception to be misguided, even bizarrely misconceived, given our own beliefs about what American policy is and what its goals are. Nevertheless, the strongest forces in the Russian policy community have bought into that vision and have made policy accordingly. Therefore, the key point that readers should take as they read these papers together is that Russian and American perspectives and policies are mutually interactive. They do not take place in a strategic vacuum devoid of all context, and develop to a considerable degree in response to the other side's activities and rhetoric. Neither we nor Russia can act in disregard of the fact that our actions have consequences and that other state actors in Eurasia, as elsewhere, also have a vote in shaping the context of international affairs and in the day-to-day conduct of U.S. and Russian national security policy" -- p. v.

Designed for use in courses on contemporary Russia, this volume explores Russia's policy dilemmas in three realms: international security, socio-political, and socio-economic. In each of these categories, Russia faces daunting problems, none of which is likely to be resolved quickly or easily. Yet, over the longer term, the extent to which policymakers are successful in dealing with these challenges will go far in determining Russia's future place in the world, how Russians will live, and what kind of country Russia becomes. Each expertly authored chapter outlines the nature of one major issue; traces it evolution and policy developments under the Yeltsin and Putin presidencies; and evaluates the effectiveness and prospects of efforts to come to grips with the challenge.

Increasingly, the armed forces have a vision of security as emphasising hard rather than soft security, a view which has come to the forefront in Moscow's national security policy process. Due to this institutionally-driven vision, Russia sees itself facing increasing military-political and strategic threats all along its frontiers. Recent Russian policies reflect that perception and Moscow's adaptation to it. Russian and American perspectives and policies are mutually interactive; they do not take place in a strategic vacuum devoid of all context, and develop to a considerable degree in response to the other side's activities and rhetoric. This book is an overview of the Russian political, economic, and security issues, as well as U.S. interests.