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How much of Russia's return to the global stage is a fundamentally new phenomenon? Eugene Rumer and Julia Gurganus explain the broad continuity with centuries-old vectors of Russian foreign policy in a new paper for Carnegie's #GlobalRussia project carnegieendowment.org/2019/02/20/rus… 1/ 
As Rumer and Gurganus explain, “Russian foreign policy has been building up to its present expansive phase for over two decades.” 2/
“Continuity with the Soviet era and even earlier periods of Russian history is a hallmark of the Kremlin’s current foreign policy and the toolkit it relies on to advance its goals.” 3/
“Russian foreign policy for centuries has been guided by three factors: the quest for strategic depth, recognition as a great power, and a complicated relationship with the West.” 4/
Russia’s contemporary activist foreign policy actually predates Putin’s presidency. It was first launched by Yevgeny Primakov, who was appointed Russian foreign minister in 1996. The Primakov doctrine emphasized: 6/
"As the Kremlin acquired more resources, its policy evolved from a relatively passive refusal to accept Western initiatives to a more active form of resistance; eventually it morphed into an activist foreign policy with an ambitious geographic scope.” 7/
“While some elements of the time-tested Soviet foreign policy toolkit fell into disuse early in the post-Soviet period, these tools have once again been taken up again by the country’s foreign policy and national security establishment.” 8/
George Kennan identified a crucial difference between Russian foreign policy thinking and the U.S. propensity for short-termism and speedy outcomes in his classic work, The Sources of Soviet Conduct: 9/
The degree of continuity to the present day is striking. “From its earliest days, the Soviet state and its leaders weaponized information and ideology in their struggle for survival at home and in pursuit of greater influence abroad.” 10/
“Use of proxy agents and covert operations has been a recurring motif in Moscow’s foreign policy agenda before, during, and after the Cold War.” 11/
“Soviet personnel and equipment were deployed covertly in crisis zones in various parts of Asia and the Middle East throughout the Cold War.” 12/
“Targeted assassinations of émigrés and political opponents, which have figured prominently in the Kremlin’s various campaigns against its enemies, have deep roots in Soviet history.” This declassified 1964 CIA document contains eerie parallels to the present day. 13/
More recently, Kremlin moves in Ukraine, Syria, and beyond demonstrated “Russia’s propensity for risk-taking and punching above its weight, along with its improved capabilities for warfare and operations short of war in multiple domains.” 14/
“Moreover, the Kremlin’s record since 2012 suggests that it will not be deterred or constrained by economic difficulties.” 15/
"While Russian foreign policy today lacks the rigid ideological guidelines and vast resources of the Soviet era, it reflects greater flexibility, adaptability & opportunism. There is every indication that these ambitions and its toolkit will endure, even in a post-Putin era." 16/
Check out the updated #GlobalRussia digital feature for more insights from this important @CarnegieEndow paper. go.carnegieendowment.org/GpP0Vy007Z5yP0… END/
