Pragmatic changes in the Russian foreign policy perceptions after the crisis in Kosovo

This thesis describes Russian foreign policy perceptions in the period following the 1999 crisis in Kosovo. Specifically, it is argued that Russian foreign policy perceptions became pragmatic in the late 1990s. This author contends that this widely supported pragmatic change is manifested through several factors: Russia's foreign policy's focus on the domestic economic growth and solution of the internal political problems, the fact that Russia abandoned the 'super power' temptations in favor of more modest foreign policy goals and Russia's preference of the Western models of economic and political development. Combined together, these developments indicate a significant departure from the assertive course of foreign policy that Russia pursued since mid-1990s until 1999. This author reaches the conclusion after finalizing the findings about Russia's pragmatism, that Western perspectives about Russia should also change in response to the pragmatic shift of Russian foreign policy perspectives. Several areas, in which the West should review its own approach towards Russia, are suggested.Arts, Faculty ofPolitical Science, Department ofGraduat