In Search of New Relations with the West by Dr Vladimir Shamberg

From the very beginning, Russia's democratic leadership rejected the expansionist foreign policy of the Soviet totalitarian empire and embarked on a search for a new foreign policy. Leaders thought that transition to democracy would make Russia the partner of the United State's in world affairs.

Russian leaders began to act in concert with the United State's in various international situations, trying to go along with US foreign policy.

Russian politicians and foreign policy experts began to advocate that Russian foreign policy turn from its orientation towards the West to orientation towards Russia's national interests as guiding principles of the country's foreign policy. The general guiding principles of national interests included the following:

• Preserving political, economic, and military sovereignty of the country.

• Ensuring national security.

• Ensuring territorial integrity and stability of the borders.

• Defending rights, freedoms, dignity, and well-being of its citizens.

To those principles, Russian experts add some specific national interests of today's Russia:

• Creation of a favorable international environment for the implementation of internal reforms and the resurrection of Russia.

• Prevention of Russia's isolation in world politics.

• Vigorous actions against any further decline of Russia's influence in international relations.

Changes in Russian foreign policy were met with growing suspicions in the West. In many publications, Russia was and is accused of aggressive actions and attempts to dominate former parts of the Soviet Union and to restore the empire.

There are political forces on the Russian political scene that would welcome a renewal of the cold war. In Russia one can find politicians who would like to provoke a crisis in relations with the outside world and to put Russia once again into a hostile encirclement, without which they could not even dream of achieving power. But they represent a very tiny fraction of public opinion in Russia and by no means determine Russian foreign policy thinking.

Nationalistic rhetoric was greatly intensified before the December 1993 elections. The election results brought about an impression that ultranationalists' aggressive stand in foreign policy was supported by large segments of voters. But the surveys conducted after the elections showed that this was not true. In a speech to leaders of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service in April 1994, President Boris Yeltsin, analyzing Russia's relations with the West, stressed that Russia must henceforth distinguish between partnership with the West and attempts by the West to dominate Russia and to impose upon Moscow "actions that run counter to Russia's interests." In this speech, President Yeltsin emphasized Moscow's intention to pursue a more assertive foreign policy.

In December 1994, President Yeltsin denounced as "anti-Russian" NATO plans to admit countries of Eastern Europe and warned of the dangers of a single superpower world. In a criticism of what Russia considered the United State's intention to emerge as the only superpower, President Yeltsin said, "History demonstrates that it is a dangerous illusion to suppose that destinies of continents and of the world community in general can somehow be managed from one single capital." A few days earlier in Brussels, Foreign Minister Kozyrev, protesting NATO plans to admit countries of Eastern Europe, refused to sign the "Partnership for Peace" program of cooperation between Russia and NATO.

Russian public opinion was bitterly disappointed with the setback in relations with the West. The Moscow newspaper Segodnia (Today) wrote in the beginning of December 1994:

One period of the postcommunist Russia's transformation has finished and a new period started. First period was characterized by the course on rapid westernization, "inclusion in Europe," absolute proWestern orientation of foreign and domestic policies with great hope for decisive Western economic aid and Western solidarity with the country which rejected communism.... This period ended with defeat and disillusionment. It was defeat of the West which lost the possibility of "easy" integration of Russia into the "Western world" and put political forces in Russia which were oriented on Western perspective in a position of political outsiders.... A new period of transformation which started now is and will be national period. Russia will be getting out of the most difficult and most inevitable crisis itself, without any outside help.... From now on we should not look all the time at the West being afraid to get grade "F" for "democracy" or for "foreign policy behavior."

The article's conclusion was that the period of "learning how to live" has ended. "We need partners, we do not need mentors."

Ex.5 Use the words below to complete each sentence:

receptivity	removal
integration	disagreement
forum	signatories
independence	insurgency