In the middle of a prolonged confrontation with the West, Russia cannot revive its Western-oriented or Eurasianist foreign policy concepts. In foreign relations, crisis-avoidance mechanisms must be the priority while Russia seeks a new strategic concept. That rethink must be underpinned by domestic reform; otherwise, the Russian state could share the fate of the Romanov regime in World War I.
Dmitri Trenin: Russia needs a plan C
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Church of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh in Tsarskoye Selo outside St. Petersburg on Dec. 8, 2014.
