An unprecedented document was posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website yesterday. "A Review of the Russian Federation's Foreign Policy" is 100 pages long: a systematic outline of Russia's foreign policy priorities, together with recommendations for the relevant ministries and agencies. "A strong and more self-confident Russia has become an important component of positive changes worldwide," says the review.      

The need for such a document was pointed out by President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with Russian ambassadors in June 2006. According to our sources, the presidential administration received a draft version in February and has made some amendments since then.      

Western countries have long published such reviews of developments in international affairs. Russia is not only following these trends, but also responding to global changes. However, Moscow emphasizes that globalization is not incompatible with diversity: "Increasing globalization processes, despite their contradictory consequences, lead to a more equitable distribution of resources for influence and economic growth, laying an objective foundation for a multipolar construct in international relations." These procesess have led to a revival of the "equilibrium and competitive environment" that were lost with the end of the Cold War.      

Russia, as one of the world's leading suppliers of oil and natural gas, cannot disregard the increasing political importance of "the energy factor and access to resources as a whole." There are "some countries which regard Russia as a potentially dangerous competitor on the world's economic stage." The review notes with regret that these unnamed countries seek to restrict "our country's competitive advantages" as "a major reservoir for global economic growth."       The key direction for Russia's foreign policy is the former Soviet Union: "This is where our security interests and economic interests are concentrated - and this is where serious challenges come from, including illegal immigration and organized crime."      

Another section covers regional conflicts. The argument that "there is no rational alternative to regulation of crisis situations, especially in the Middle East" corresponds with Russia's traditional approach. But the review takes a new approach to the Kosovo situation. For the first time, it proposes considering "the international community's experience in creating Israel" in 1948, although the adjacent state of Palestine was never established: "The international community lost control of the process of Palestine's territorial and political arrangement." The review maintains that this is one of the "key factors" in the "unregulated condition of the Arab-Israeli conflict." However, it isn't entirely clear how this historical experience is relevant to the Balkans situation.      

Conflict regulation is a delicate thing. It should avoid the use of force, or even the threat of using force. The review quotes Marcel Proust's advice about how far a successful bluff can be taken. Some elements of bluffing are also present in American- Iranian clashes and the North Korean nuclear problem. Saddam Hussein was bluffing when he hinted that he possessed weapons of mass destruction. US intelligence agencies were also bluffing when they claimed to have found the weapons in Iraq.      

Moscow is concerned about the growth of the force factor in global affairs. After all, this has "a harmful impact" on disarmament and arms control. Russia acknowledges that this area is affected by stagnation. The solution should be sought in "collective action aimed at reinforcing the non-proliferation regime and preventing any destabilization of the international law foundations for disarmament." Relations with America are important here, for all their "ambivalence." Unfortunately, the United States is striving for a unipolar world, with everyone else relegated to the role of "followers" rather than leaders. But "despite the flaws in the present administration's policies, Russia and the United States are united by a shared concern for strengthening the non-proliferation regime."

Vremya Novostei