Russian foreign policy since the start of the first decade of the 21st century has been driven by two mutually reinforcing ambitions: To assert own status as one of ‘Great Powers’ in the world arena, and to ensure that global affairs are run by several powers of equal rank. Global economic crisis, which has arrived to Russia in the second half of 2008 and ravaged it with greater force than most Western countries, or petro-states, or other ‘emerging markets’, has profoundly affected its self-perception and world-view.
Baev, Pavel K. (2010) The Russian Federation: Striving for Multipolarity but Missing the Consequences, in Great Powers and Strategic Stability in the 21 Century. London (117–136).
