A casual reader of Western media in Europe and the US, in particular, might be excused for believing that the potential for a new US-Russian Cold War had increased significantly as of mid-September. The catalyst for this change was not geo-political or politico-economic but individual and idiosyncratic: the appointment of Yevgeniy Primakov as Russia's new prime minister. This memo argues that such a portrayal of the situation is seriously flawed: Primakov's views and decision-making style, as well as the institutional and international contexts within which he operates, render any sharp turn to the past in Russian policy unlikely. While Mr. Primakov is not a Western liberalizer in the manner of former Foreign Minister Kozyrev, his outlook and views should not be surprising to US policymakers, accustomed as they are to the tough-minded and pragmatic Realpolitik practiced by Kissinger, Brzezinski and Albright, among others. […]
Memo #:
41
Series:
1
PDF:
PDF URL:
http://www.gwu.edu/~ieresgwu/assets/docs/ponars/pm_0041.pdf
Author [Non-member]:
Jeffrey Checkel
