Security and Foreign Policy of Dmitry Medvedev in the Period 2008–2012
New article by Lukáš Tichý was published in The Journal of Slavic Military Studies, Volume 27, Issue 4, 2014.
Russian security and foreign policy in the period of Medvedev’s presidency in 2008–2012 was characterized by profound ambivalence. On the one hand, Medvedev promoted the concept of a multilateral world order with a ‘new Russia’—as a restorative power—representing one of its leading centers. On the other hand, the Russian President decided to launch a military campaign against Georgia in August 2008 and subsequently ordered the reform of the Russian armed forces and the modernization of its weapon systems. The Russian president also continued to exaggerate threats to Russian national security and emphasize the possibility of using nuclear weapons. A specific feature of Russian foreign policy of this period was the tendency to use the supplies of energy resources as a political tool. At the same time, it can be observed that although the security cooperation between Russia and the US and NATO was re-established, mutual security relations remained burdened by a number of contentious issues.