Few questions have been more controversial in Russian politics than the issue of Russia's foreign policy orientation and the concepts which determine its foreign policies. Basically, concepts of national identity and foreign policies are considered to be important policy factors in states which are moving from one political system to another. Russia is no exception from this rule. Institutional weakness and political unpredictability have made ideas and elite constellations crucial factors in the internal struggle for a Russian foreign policy concept. However, constellations are never permanent, and the same goes for the concepts. This article attempts to give an overview of the internal struggle for a foreign policy concept in Russia from 1992 and onwards. It argues that although Russia claims to have reached consensus around some realist principles in foreign policies based on a broad elite agreement, uncertainty persists. Moreover, realist principles in foreign policies seem to involve an acceptance that democracy in Russia is no precondition for a role for Russia in world affairs. This has critical consequences for the understanding of Russia as a foreign policy actor.
