THE US POWER PROJECTION IN THE POST-SOVIET SPACE: POLICIES AND PRACTICES

DAVYDOV Alexey A. (Senior Research Fellow, Centre for North American Studies, Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations, the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), Moscow, Russian Federation), adavydov@imemo.ru

The article analyses the US policies in the post-Soviet space as an example of how a great power can stimulate specific political order in a region. The author states that the US strategic framework in this space does not contradict the deterrence imperatives towards the USSR. Depending on its short-term goals in relations with Russia, US foreign policy follows a seven- or eight-year cycle of stimulation of the decentralisation processes in the region. After the dissolution of the USSR, the first clear manifestation of differences between Moscow and Washington, which occurred in 1999, was followed by three waves of tensions in 2007, 2014, and 2022. In all four cases, the US raised its strategic attention towards other former Soviet republics. In each sub-region of this space, the US applies different sets of practices that would be most efficient and suitable for each country in fulfilling current American political imperatives. Throughout the last three decades, the United States demonstrated an effective usage of different sets of “carrot and stick” political approaches, mostly carried out via ideological, economic, military, diplomatic, and multilateral foreign political means, both towards these post-Soviet states and Russia. In each state of the post-Soviet space, Washington applied a unique set of political practices and tactics, often following the same goal of undermining Moscow’s power and stimulating decentralisation processes among the former Soviet republics.

Keywords: Russia; Eurasia; Central Asia; Caucasus; United States; Ukraine; liberal world order; democracy promotion.