This radical change can be seen in the newly assertive, defiant and confident behavior of the Russian leadership. Furthermore, this behavior is about to translate into a foreign policy doctrine revealed by the President Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev, whose status has been boosted by critical decisions he took during and after the conflict, revealed the principles of Russia's new foreign policy doctrine in an interview with Russia's three main television stations last Sunday.
In response to Rossiya TV presenter Andrey Kondrashov's question of how he saw the future of the world, the world order and Russia's place in it, Medvedev gave this important and detailed answer, which we found worth quoting here verbatim in a translation by the Kremlin: "When pursuing the foreign policy of the Russian Federation, I will be basing it on five principles.
"The first, Russia recognizes the primacy of the fundamental principles of international law, which define the relations between civilized nations. We will build our relations with other countries within the framework of these principles and this concept of international law.
"Second, the world should be multipolar. A single-pole world is unacceptable. Domination is something we cannot allow. We cannot accept a world order in which one country makes all the decisions, even as serious and influential a country as the United States of America. Such a world is unstable and threatened by conflict.
"Third, Russia does not want confrontation with any other country. Russia has no intention of isolating itself. We will develop friendly relations with Europe, the United States, and other countries, as much as is possible.
"Fourth, protecting the lives and dignity of our citizens, wherever they may be, is an unquestionable priority for our country. Our foreign policy decisions will be based on this need.
"We will also protect the interests of our business community abroad. It should be clear to all that we will respond to any aggressive acts committed against us.
"Finally, fifth, as is the case of other countries, there are regions in which Russia has privileged interests. These regions are home to countries with which we share special historical relations and are bound together as friends and good neighbors. We will pay particular attention to our work in these regions and build friendly ties with these countries, our close neighbors. These are principles I will follow in carrying out our foreign policy.
"As for the future, it depends not only on us but also on our friends and partners in the international community. They have a choice."
After this explanation one of the interviewers asked Medvedev for a clarification of the Russian areas of interest (sixth principle). Medvedev replied, "the countries on our borders are priorities of course, but our priorities do not end there."
These therefore are the stated official foreign policy principles of resurgent and confident new Russia as put forward by President Medvedev, who is constitutionally responsible for the direction and execution of the foreign policy.
They speak for themselves, but in my opinion the fourth and fifth principles stand out most in terms of Russia's future foreign policy direction and actions, which the international community should take into account beforehand.
Medvedev's doctrine, of course, did not come out of the blue; the Georgian conflict only helped it to come on stage; it was really the natural outcome of deep resentment felt by Russia for Western actions over the years.
Now, the West knows what to expect from Russia with the new doctrine.
