Imagining Russia in Western International Relations Theory

In Western international relations theory, if not in the opinion of many of its inhabitants, Russia is a "normal"(i.e. a non-exceptional) country. The competing theoretical paradigms which currently dominate the narration of international relations, Neo-Realism, Neo-Liberalism, and Global Systems theory, are relied upon to explain and predict (imagine) Russian behavior in international relations in terms of variables which apply to a broad range of states. From the standpoint of these theoretical frameworks Russia's behavior is presented as comprehensible in terms of: the international power structure and a competitive power drive which Russia has in common with other states (Neo-Realism); its degree of political and economic modernization (Liberal Theory) and enmeshment in international institutions and regimes (neo-Liberal Theory); or, its degree of enmeshment in and dependence on the global capitalist system (World Systems Theory). The dominant paradigms offer plausible, albeit alternative and conflicting, explanations of Russian behavior without reference to any exceptionalist claims regarding the putative uniqueness of Russian history, culture, or political values. Not only do the dominant paradigms offer no validation for exceptionalist claims, th