Political Science 462
Russian Foreign Relations
CRN: 27167
Eastern Michigan University
Winter 2015
Tuesday & Thursday, 11:00-12:15 p.m., 420 Pray Harrold
Judith Kullberg
Office: 601-S Pray Harrold
Telephone: (734) 487-1405 (office)
(734) 487-3113 (depart.)
Email: judith.kullberg@emich.edu
Office hours: Tues. & Thurs. 1-3 p.m.
and by appointment
Course Description
Since its emergence as a world power under the leadership of Peter the Great in the late
17th century, Russia has profoundly affected the character of the international system.
Occupying one sixth of the earth’s surface at its peak in the 19th century, the wealth and
military might of the Russian Empire shaped the European state system from the time of
the Napoleonic wars. Russia’s global influence increased after the tsarist autocracy
collapsed during World War I and the Bolsheviks seized power in the 1917 Revolution.
The Bolsheviks rejected the dominant European liberal model of capitalism and
constitutional democracy, opting instead for a new type of political order dominated by a
single party ruling in the name of the working class.
The enmity between the USSR and the liberal democracies of the West and the USSR
was put aside during WWII, when they formed a military alliance to defeat Nazi
Germany and its allies. However, almost immediately following the war, conflict and
competition began again. The division of Europe into the Soviet-dominated Warsaw Pact
and the U.S.-led NATO alliance after World War II, combined with the acquisition of
nuclear weapons by both sides, precipitated the Cold War. The Cold War profoundly
affected the character of the international system in the second half of the 20th century,
and its legacy can be seen in many dimensions of global politics.
Mikhail Gorbachev’s attempt to fundamentally reform Soviet communism included a
revolution in Russia’s relations with the world, “the new political thinking,” which led to
the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The collapse of the
Soviet Union transformed the international system: for a time the old 20th century
paradigms in foreign policy no longer applied and the role and behavior of international
organizations were fundamentally changed. During the Yeltsin era, Russia struggled to
define itself as a nation and to determine its role in the international system. As the
primary successor state of the USSR, Russia was still the largest nation in the world, and
with its abundant natural resources and nuclear weapons, still a great power, albeit no
longer a “superpower.” However, it was plagued with political and social instability and
its new democratic and market institutions performed poorly throughout the 1990s,
weakening its role and status in the international system. Within the political elite,
resentful of the dominating role of the U.S. and NATO in the post-Cold War era, a desire
for a return to great power status emerged.
Upon his accession to the presidency in 1999, Vladimir Putin immediately began to
recentralize power and strengthen the central state, in the belief that only a strong state
will allow Russia to actively pursue its interests and influence world affairs. Since the
beginning of the Putin era, Russia’s foreign policy has reflected the nationalist ideology
of the Kremlin. The country’s current foreign policy strategy envisions Russia’s national
interests as opposed to or in tension with the interests of the U.S., NATO, and the
European Union. Strained relations between Russia and the West have contributed to a
significant weakening of international security, for example in the paralysis of the United
Nations Security Council in the face of several crises, including the civil war in Syria. In
2014, in response to a popular uprising that ousted the pro-Russian president of Ukraine,
Russia seized Crimea, declared it to be part of the Russian Federation, and supported an
insurgency of pro-Russian separatists groups in eastern Ukraine. In response, Western
nations imposed economic and diplomatic sanctions on Russia, which were expanded
greatly after Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July
17. Armed conflict in the region since then, including direct exchange of fire between
Ukrainian and regular Russian Army units that have sporadically operated within
Ukraine, amounts to a war between Russia and Ukraine.
How can we explain Russian’s current foreign policy and the decisions to use military
force in Ukraine? What are the implications of an assertive or expansionist Russia for
international security? What will be the effects – economic and political -- of the multiple
rounds of economic sanctions that Western nations and Russia have placed on one
another? Can Russia actually cut its ties to Europe and the U.S. and return to its historical
position of isolation from the West? If so, what will be the long term effects on the
Russian polity and society, and on the international system? These and related questions
will be considered across the semester.
Course Objectives
Students will learn about and be able to describe the long-term trajectory of Russian
international behavior, from the time of Peter the Great to the present. They will be able
to describe, explain, and think critically about various theories of the determinants of
Russian foreign policy. They will examine and analyze the connection between the
domestic political and economic reforms that began in the 1980s and Russia’s foreign
policy, and be able to describe those connections. They will develop a good
understanding of the contemporary Russian foreign policy process and be able to play the
role of a key actor in a simulation of the policy process. The will analyze the nation’s
current international role and estimate its long-term impact on the international system of
the 21st century.
Readings
The two primary texts for the course are listed below. They can be purchased at the
EMU Bookstore or through an online bookseller, such as Amazon.com.
Vladislav Zubok, A Failed Empire: The Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin
to Gorbachev (University of North Carolina, 1987). ISBN: 9780807859582
Andrei P. Tsygankov, Russia’s Foreign Policy: Change and Continuity in
National Identity (Rowman and Littlefield, 2013). 3rd edition. ISBN:
9781442220010
All additional required readings are available in the course e-College companion site
(www.emuonline.edu), either under Docsharing or Webliography. course reserve page at
the Halle Library Course Reserves (http://reserves.emich.edu). All news articles that I
distribute in class and/or post on e-Collge will also be considered required reading.
Course Requirements
Students are expected to:
Read and think!
The surest route to a good grade in this class (or any class) is to complete the
assigned reading. You should complete the reading before the class for which it is
assigned. The reading will introduce you to basic concepts and theories, challenge
you to think critically about current issues, and encourage you to develop your own
reasoned judgments on these issues. Lectures, discussions, films, and activities in
class will reinforce the knowledge you acquire through reading; they cannot serve as
a substitute for reading. Your mastery of the readings will be assessed in part
through your use of concepts and information contained in the readings in
discussion, research and writing. However, your grasp of course concepts and key
facts will be assessed primarily by your performance on exams (see below).
Attend class and participate in discussion
Class attendance is strongly and positively correlated with performance. To
encourage you to attend class and participate, I will award 50 points for
participation.
Research and write
In order to help you develop a concrete understanding of the historical evolution of
Russian/Soviet foreign policy and the current dilemmas faced by decision-makers,
you will conduct research on a particular aspect of Russian foreign policy, such as
bilateral relations with other major powers, participation and involvement in
international organizations, arms sales, armed conflict, etc. The assignment will be
distributed during the second week of class. Sub-deadlines for submitting sections of
the paper, corresponding to the various segments of the course, will be established.
The complete research project, 12-15 pages in length, will be due March 19. The
finished paper will be worth 200 points.
Participate in a foreign policy simulation
Near the end of the semester, we will hold a two-class simulation of the Russian
foreign policy process. Each student will be given a specific actor and role to play
and will be expected to submit a 4-5 page briefing paper on their actor and his/her
general policy orientations on April 7. The briefing paper will be worth 100 points
and participation in the simulation will be worth 100 points toward the final grade.
Take exams
Mastery of course concepts will be primarily assessed by means of a midterm exam
(February 16) and a comprehensive final exam (April 22). The midterm will be
worth 100 points and the final 150 points. Exams will be composed of a mix of
short answer/essay questions. A study guide will be posted on the course reserve site
a week prior to each exam.
Grading scale
The total number of points that you can earn in the course is 700. Final grades will be
determined according to the standard grading scale: 93-100% = A, 90-92% =A-, 87-89%
=B+, 82-86% = B, etc.
Late Assignments and Makeup Exams
Except in cases of serious illness or family emergency, I will not accept late papers.
Similarly, if you cannot participate in a debate or take an exam at the scheduled time due
to illness or emergency, you must contact me prior to the debate or exam to reschedule.
When requesting an extension or makeup exam, you must document the illness or
emergency. Makeup exams will be in all-essay format.
Classroom Etiquette
We will discuss some controversial issues during the term. In order to facilitate a free
exchange of ideas, I expect that everyone will respect one another’s views and behave in
a mature manner during class. Interruption when another person is speaking,
disparagement of the ideas or views of others, and any other activities or behaviors that
disrupt the class or interfere with the exchange of ideas are not acceptable. Text
messaging, use of laptops for surfing the internet and instant messaging, and any other
inappropriate use of electronic devices will not be tolerated.
Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism, which is the unacknowledged use of the words or ideas of another person as
one's own, is forbidden by the EMU Code of Student Conduct. Any assignment that is
plagiarized, even in part, will receive a score of zero. Similarly, cheating on an exam is
forbidden and will also result in a zero score on the exam. A handout on plagiarism will
be distributed in class prior to the first assignment and posted on the course reserve site.
Schedule of Lectures and Readings
January 6
Introduction: Russia and the World in the 21st Century
January 8
Theories and Explanations, I
Tsygankov, Russia’s Foreign Policy, Preface and Ch. 1, “Understanding Change and
Continuity in Russia’s Foreign Policy,” pp. xxv-31.
Zubok, A Failed Empire, preface
January 13
Theories and Explanations, II
Andrei Kokoshin, "The Phenomenon of Globalization and National Security
Interests," in Andrei Melville & Tatiana Shakleina, eds. Russian Foreign Policy
in Transition: Concepts and Realities (Budapest: Central European University,
2005), pp. 327-48.
Aleksei Bogaturov, "The Syndrome of Absorption in International Politics," in
Melville and Shakleina, pp. 292-310.
Recommended
Ted Hopf, Social Construction and International Politics (Ithaca: Cornell University
Press, 2002), Ch. 1, pp. 1-38.
January 15
Foreign Policy and the Tsarist State
Robert H. Donaldson & Joseph L. Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia, Ch. 2, “The
Tsarist Roots of Russia’s Foreign Policy,” 17-36
Vissarion G. Belinsky, "Russia and the West" (1834)
Mikhail P. Pogodin, "The Wealth and Strength of Russia" (1837)
January 20
Bolshevism, Revolution, and Socialism in One Country
E. H. Carr, The Bolshevik Revolution, selection.
Leon Trotsky, "Manifesto of the Communist International to the Workers of the
World" http://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/works/1924/ffyci-1/ch01.htm
Joseph Stalin, "The Theory of Socialism in One Country," and "Strategy and
Tactics"
Recommended
Louis Fischer, The Soviets in World Affairs (Princeton University Press, 1951).
January 22
World War II and the Onset of the Cold War
Zubok, Ch. 1-2
David Holloway, “Stalin and the Bomb,” Carnegie Quarterly, Spring 1995.
George Kennan ("X"), "The Sources of Soviet Conduct" (1947)
http://www.historyguide.org/europe/kennan.html
Andrei Zhdanov, "New Aspects of World Conflict" (1947)
January 27
Stalinism and the External Empire
Zubok, Ch. 3, “Stalemate in Germany, 1945-53”
John Lewis Gaddis, We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History, Ch. 2, “Cold War
Empires: Europe”
January 29 & February 3
The Khrushchev Era: Peaceful Coexistence and the Threat of Nuclear War
Zubok, Ch. 4-6
John Lewis Gaddis, We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History, Ch. 9, “The
Cuban Missile Crisis.”
Nikita Khrushchev, "Peaceful Competition or Destruction" (1959)
February 5
Détente and Confrontation
Zubok, Ch. 7-8
Richard Pipes, “Détente: Moscow’s View” in U.S.-Soviet Relations in the Era of
Détente (1981).
February 10 & 12
Gorbachev, "New Political Thinking," and the End of the Cold War
Zubok, Ch. 9-10
Tsygankov, Ch. 2, “The Cold War Crisis and Soviet New Thinking,” pp. 33-56.
Mikhail S. Gorbachev, My Country and the World (selection)
Recommended
Jan Adams, A Foreign Policy in Transition (Duke University Press, 1992)
William Odom, The Collapse of the Soviet Military (New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1998).
February 17
Liberal Democracy and Foreign Policy in Post-Soviet Russia
Tsygankov, Ch. 3, “The Post-Cold War Euphoria and Russia’s Liberal Westernism,”
pp. 57-94.
Judith Kullberg, "The End of New Thinking: Elite Ideologies and the Future of
Russian Foreign Policy," Mershon Center for International Relations, July 1993.
Andrei Kozyrev, “Russia: A Chance for Survival,” Foreign Affairs 71:2 (1992)
The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation (1993)
February 19
Midterm Exam
March 3
The Statist Revival
Tsygankov, Ch. 4, “New Security Challenges and Great Power Balancing,” pp. 95131.
Yevgeny Primakov, "International Relations on the Eve of the 21st Century:
Problems and Prospects” (1996)
Neil Malcolm and Alex Pravda, “Democratization and Russian Foreign Policy,”
International Affairs 72:3 (1996).
Vladimir Putin, "Russia at the Turn of the Millennium" (1999)
Recommended
Hopf, Ch 4, “Historical, Internal and External Others: Russian Identity in 1999,”
153-210 and Ch. 5, “The Unipolar World: Recentering a Peripheral World in
1999,” pp. 211-258
March 5
Russia’s Return: The Early Putin Era
Tsygankov, Ch. 5, “The World after September 11 and Pragmatic Cooperation,” pp.
133-174.
Anatoly Torkunov, "International Relations after the Kosovo Crisis," in Melville &
Shakleina, pp. 281-290.
The Foreign Policy Conception of the Russian Federation, 2000
March 10
The Foreign Policy Process
Aleksei Salmin, "The Backside of Foreign Policy,” 2002
March 12
Central Asia
Roy Allison, “Strategic Reassertion in Russia’s Central Asia Policy,” International
Affairs 80:2 (2004), 277-203.
Martin C. Spechler and Dina R. Spechler, “Russia’s Lost Position in Central
Eurasia,” Journal of Eurasian Studies 4 (2013), 1-7.
Younkyoo Kim and Fabio Indeo, “The New Great Game in Central Asia post 2014:
The US ‘New Silk Road’ Strategy and Sino-Russian Rivalry,” Communist and
Post-Communist Studies 43 (2013), 275-286.
March 17
Russia and the West
Tsygankov, Ch. 6, “U.S. Regime Change Strategy and Great Power Assertiveness,”
pp. 175-205
Sergei Rogov, "A New Turn in Russian-American Relations," M&S, 349-374.
Mikhail Gorbachev, “Address to Seton Hall: Democracy in Russia and the World
Today” (2005).
March 19
Security in a Changing International System
Tsygankov, Ch. 7, “Global Instability and Russia’s Search for a New Direction,” pp.
207-229.
Aleksei Arbatov, "Russian's Security in a Multipolar World," M&S, 311-326
March 24
The Georgian War
Marcel H. Van Herpen, Putin’s Wars: The Rise of Russia’s New Imperialism, Ch.
13-15, p. 205-237.
March 26
The Syrian Civil War
Judith Kullberg, “Syria and the ‘Battle for Russia’: Ideology Identity and the Foreign
Policy of the Russian Federation”
Roy Allison, “Russia and Syria: Explaining Alignment with a Regime in Crisis,”
International Affairs 89:4 (2013), 795-823.
Mark N. Katz, “Russia and the Conflict in Syria: Four Myths,” Middle East Policy
20:2 (2013), 38-46.
March 31 & April 2
Crisis in Ukraine
Alexander J. Motyl, “Putin’s Zugzwang: The Russia-Ukraine Standoff,” World
Affairs 177:2 (July 2014).
John J. Mearsheimer, “Why the Ukraine Crisis is the West’s Fault: The Liberal
Delusions that Provoked Putin,” Foreign Affairs (September-October 2014), 7789.
Other readings TBA
April 7
The View from the West: A New Cold War?
Commision on Security and Cooperation in Europe, The New Cold War: Putin’s
Russia and the Threat to the West (2008)
Michael G. Roskin, “The New Cold War,” Parameters (2014)
Alice Slater, “No More Cold War: Calling for Peaceful Settlement in Ukraine”
Foreign Policy in Focus (September 3, 2014).
Other readings TBA
April 9
Trends and Directions: Russia and the International System in the 21st Century
Tsygankov, Ch. 8, “Conclusions and Lessons,” pp. 231-257.
Recommended
Hopf, “Identity, Foreign Policy, and IR Theory,” pp. 259-295
April 14 & 16
Foreign Policy Simulation
Thursday, April 23
Final Exam
11:00-12:30 p.m.