Publication

The paper examines the evolution and political implications of Russia's doctrine of multipolarity. Multipolarity emerged as one of the earliest doctrinal solutions to the post-Soviet Russian foreign policy dilemma, and has remained central to Russia's strategic behavior since the early 1990s. To examine the evolution of multipolarity, the author uses an array of cases that trace Russia's experiences during the most crucial and sensitive post-Cold War international events: the wars in Yugoslavia in 1994-1995 and 1999; 11 September and the war in Afghanistan; and the 2003 war in Iraq. In the concluding section, the study looks to the future and to the likely role that multipolarity will play in Russian foreign policy.