Putins Politics Against The Neighboring Countries (Essay Sample)

Putin Politics Against the Neighboring Countries
ILIAN NIKOLOV
Putin’s Politics against the Neighboring Countries
By Ilian Nikolov
When Putin took power in 2000, it quickly became clear to the world that Russia had set itself on a steady path of renewed ‘assertiveness’. This approach, often perceived as renewed aggressive policy, was conceptualized and justified in repetitive statements by President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov that Russia’s goal is nothing else but to restore international respect and recognition as an equal and strong player in international relations. Understandably, Putin would not acknowledge publicly that Russians external political and military show of might had a second, stronger aim, namely to consolidate domestic power.
Putin’s new strategy emerged following the wave of “color revolutions” in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan between 2003 and 2005. These forms of protest sought independence from Russia, and from local leaders under Russian control. Perceived as a threat to Russia’s empire, the events strengthened Putin’s determination to expand externally and consolidate internal power. This was first evident in the conflict between Russia and Georgia over their shared Ossetia border in 2008 and in Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s territory of Crimea in 2014.
Russia has been amassing troops along its borders accompanied by regular military drills. There is sufficient recent evidence of planning new incursions, this time in Belarus (Daniels, 2017). Another strong indicator of Putin’s ‘assertive strategy’ are the trends of separatism in many ex-Soviet states keen on implementing pro-Western reforms (Orttung & Walker, 2015). Considering the tense political climate that Russia finds itself in, these actions can also be interpreted as a pre-emptive defense strategy against potential acts of aggression.
Putin’s neighborhood strategy aims to reclaim traditional Russian control over its ex-Soviet republics and its influence upon former allies and as such it is unlikely to change soon. Some analysts explain this with historical motives (Michel, 2017), while others see in it a response to an increasing mistrust with the United States and the EU. Finally, Putin’s personal role in Russia’s foreign policy should not be overe...