Russian Politics and Foreign Policy

My IWP

Subjects of inquiry include: the changing political system; the problems of implementing economic reform; the rise of the national and democratic movements; the status of the armed forces, security and intelligence agencies; continuities and changes in the political culture, institutions and habits of mind; and changes in foreign policy, including relations with the newly independent post-Soviet states.

The essential focus of this course is to fathom the causes and consequences of the disintegration of the communist system, and to examine the political, ideological, and economic changes in post-Soviet Russia. Subjects of inquiry include: the changing political system; the problems of implementing economic reform; the rise of the national and democratic movements; the status of the armed forces, security, and intelligence agencies; continuities and changes in the political culture, institutions, and habits of mind; and changes in foreign policy, especially towards the United States.

Semester Available

Spring Semester

Professor of History, The Kościuszko Chair in Polish Studies {read more}

John Lenczowski

Founder and President, The Institute of World Politics {read more}

Request more information

FEATURED FACULTY

Thomas P. Melady

Senior Diplomat in Residence; Former Ambassador to Burundi, Uganda, and the Vatican

American Founding Principles and Foreign Policy

This course examines the founding principles of American political philosophy and how they define the national purposes that form the basis of U.S. foreign policy. The course covers the underlying structure and principles of the American political order as the basis of national security policy so that policy can be seen as the reflection of the fundamental ends of the order.

Principal Professor

Charles R. Smith