How can we best define Russia's long-term national interests in the field of political sovereignty, sustainable economic development and military security? How will Russia view its federal state structure, as it finds itself confronted with a centuries-old tension between national and regional identity? Does Russia have to make a choice between East and West? All these questions relate to the centuries-old debate on the 'Russian Idea'. The contributors to this book seek to study the quest for Russian identity, approaching this multi-layered and diffuse problem from a historical, political, cultural and economic perspective.
