2019 Summer Online Russian Foreign Policy Draft Syllabus

Russian Foreign Policy
POLISCI 394Z
Summer 2019
Course Overview.................................................................3
A Note on the Syllabus....................................................4
Learning Outcomes............................................................5
Fundamental (Basic) Outcomes......................................5
Intermediate Outcomes..................................................5
Advanced Outcomes........................................................5
Course Logistics.................................................................6
Netiquette and Expectations...........................................6
Class Materials and Recordings Policy...........................6
Professor’s Office Hours.................................................6
Course Assessments and Grading......................................7
Assignments....................................................................7
Grade Appeals.................................................................8
Extra Credit.....................................................................8
Course Readings................................................................9
Course Units and Assignments........................................10
Unit 1: Introduction to the Course...............................10
Unit 2: Introduction to Russia......................................11
Unit 3: Identity, Status, and Foreign Policy..................11
Unit 4: Vladimir Putin...................................................12
Unit 5: Russia and the Former Soviet Union.................13
Unit 6: Russia and Europe............................................14
Unit 7: Russia and China..............................................15
Unit 8: Russia and the United States............................16
Unit 9: Russia and the Middle East...............................17
Unit 10: Russia and the Future.....................................17
SUMMER 2019 RUSSIAN FOREIGN POLICY PROFESSOR MUSGRAVE
Course Overview
T
his course will discuss the history and
contemporary politics of Russian Foreign Policy.
In particular, we will draw on scholarship about
how factors like identity and narrative shape how
policymakers in the Russian Federation approach their
foreign-policy decision-making. We will begin with an
overview of Russian history (including the Soviet era)
as it pertains to foreign policy and a summary of
contemporary Russian politics (including the career of
Vladimir Putin). We will then talk about how Russian
narratives about Russia’s place in the world have
changed in response to—and to produce—changing
circumstances in Russian diplomacy. We will conclude
by surveying major issues in Russian foreign policy
now and in the immediate future.
This course takes place at a moment when Russian
foreign policy is more important than it has been in
your lifetimes (assuming you’re less than about 25). It
also takes place in the shadow of a presidential
election in the United States in which Russian
influence was present (although the scope and
effectiveness of those operations have been much
debated, exaggerated, and even dismissed). To put it
bluntly, Russian foreign policy matters. This course
(and this instructor) cannot tell you everything you
need to know about this important topic—a country of
more than 140 million people with thousands of
nuclear weapons and millions of square miles in extent
—but it can give you a good start.
I have two principal aims for this course. The first is
for you to learn the basics of how to analyze the
foreign policy of any country using Russia as an
example. I want you to begin to think about concepts
like identity and history not as things to be taken for
granted but as products of complex social action
2
designed to make the world to appear to be a

particular way. These artifices seek to do everything
they can to disclaim their own origins, but recognizing
that history, identity, culture, and so on are human-
made rather than natural kinds will help you
appreciate how other countries exhibit the same
dynamics.
The second goal is to acquaint you with the basic facts
about Russian policy. There’s a lot of misinformation
and outright disinformation out there at the moment,
especially for Americans. My goal is not to convince
you that any particular interpretation of Russian policy
is right, and certainly not that the Russians’ own
stories about their policy are entirely accurate, but to
give you the tools and background you’ll need to sift
between more and less factually grounded theories
about why Russian foreign policy has taken the forms
it does.
A Note on the Syllabus

I do not expect to make major changes to the syllabus
after the course begins, but if any amendments
become necessary, I will notify you in a timely manner.
This course deals with current events, however, so
additional readings may appear on short notice.
3
Learning Outcomes
Fundamental (Basic) Outcomes
 Demonstrate that you can accurately identify
correct information describing Russian history,
strategy, culture, and economics relating to the
foreign policy of the Russian Federation
 Define and identify key terms and figures
associated with the foreign policy of the Russian
Federation
 Explain arguments presented in complex written
forms
Intermediate Outcomes
 Apply theories of foreign policy to analyze
particular cases of Russian behavior in diplomacy
and other international realms
 Distinguish arguments about the causes and
consequences of Russian foreign policy
 Extrapolate expectations about behavior and/or
outcomes of actors in Russian foreign policy from
particular arguments to different situations
 Critique different arguments and compare and
contrast their weaknesses and strengths
Advanced Outcomes
 Analyze foreign policy theories in light of
particular facts and arguments to find areas that
need additional testing or research
 Develop original theses exploring particular
empirical areas in the study of Russian foreign
policy
 Write cogent and persuasive arguments that
engage with other arguments
4
Course Logistics
Netiquette and Expectations
Please see the separate class handout on netiquette for
my guidelines about how to handle online interactions.
The brief, Twitter-length version is: be excellent to
each other. We’re all here to learn, and I look forward
to guiding our online interactions to be supportive,
engaging, and welcoming for everyone.
Class Materials and Recordings Policy

The materials I have prepared for this course remain
my personal intellectual property. You have permission
to use them for course-related and personal purposes
but not to re-distribute them in any way. Students are
permitted to electronically record course materials
using audio and video recorders for personal use only.
These may not be distributed or sold to other persons.
Professor’s Office Hours

I will be available for office hours consultation on an
as-needed basis. These can take the form of email or
Skype conversations. You can email me at
musgrave@umass.edu. I try to respond to all email
within 24 “business” hours (that is, I may not reply to
an email on a Friday evening or a Saturday until
Monday). We can also set up times to talk via Skype
audio; a standard Skype call lasts 15 minutes (although
it can go longer). I am available for these by
appointment, usually between 9:00 am and 6:30 pm
Eastern time but also at other times if you need that.
5
Course Assessments and

Grading
Assignments
Due dates for assignments are listed with the readings.
Assignment due dates may shift slightly, but you will be
told about this in advance.
Online Participation (25 percent of grade)
Routinely throughout the course, you will be required
to submit one journal essay and take part in online
discussions. The journal will be shared only with me; in
the journal, you will lay out your personal reactions,
questions, lessons learned, and uncertainties about the
subject. The online discussions will be shared with
your classmates; you will participate by making one
major post (100-300 words) and engaging with your
classmates a handful of times. These assignments will
be graded on a complete/not complete or check-
plus/check/check-minus basis. I will allow you to drop
your lowest grades on several (TBD) of these.
Reading Assignments (25 percent of semester
grade)
You will complete five brief assignments focused on
one or two particular readings from the course. You
will practice how to read and analyze nonfiction texts
to develop your reading skills at a high level.
Essays (25 percent of semester grade)
You will complete two essays that engage with the
material from the readings. Each essay will be about
1,000 words long. You will engage with several (four or
five) readings from various units in the course. You will
explain how they address a common topic and how
they agree or disagree about that topic. You will also
6
assess which of the various claims you find to be most

persuasive (if any) and explain why.
Final Paper (35 percent of semester grade)
Your final paper will be 2500-3000 words exploring an
original thesis about a subject that interests you in
Russian Foreign Policy based mostly on the readings
and videos assigned in this course. You will write this
in stages. By July 12, you will prepare a 500-600 word
proposal laying out the topic and scope (5 percent of
the grade). By July 26, you will present a revised 600-
800 word proposal (5 percent of the grade), including a
summary of proposed resources to be drawn on for
that paper. By August 2, you will give me an update,
including how you have drawn on library resources to
find two or three high-quality sources for your paper
and what problems you are facing in completing it.
Grade Appeals
You may appeal any grade, but except in case of
outright error (which does happen, albeit rarely) you
should know that I will treat these discussions more as
a teachable moment for you to explain your grade
more fully than as an actual appeal.
Extra Credit
There is no extra credit.
7
Course Readings
I’ve listed articles and readings in the order that I
think you should read them. Please note that
recommended readings are just that: recommended!
They’re not required!
Most readings will be available online, but there is one
text you should purchase:
 Colton, Timothy J. Russia: What Everyone Needs
to Know. (Oxford University Press.) ISBN 978-0-
19-991779-2. https://www.amazon.com/Russia-
What-Everyone-Needs-Know/dp/0199917795
(About $15 on Amazon, new.) 288 pages.
 Wood, Tony. Russia Without Putin. (Verso.) ISBN
9781788731249
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0796D9JX6/ref=dp-
kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 (About
$17 on Amazon, new.) 225 pages.
 Trenin, Dmitri. What is Russia Up to in the Middle
East? (Polity.) ISBN 9781509522316
https://www.amazon.com/What-Russia-Up-Middle-
East/dp/150952231X (About $13 on Amazon,
new.) 144 pages.
8
Course Units and Assignments

The course is divided into ten units. Each unit will have
two to four “lessons” related to them, which roughly
correspond to a little less than one day in an in-person
course. The readings will be posted before the
beginning of the course. Lectures and assignments will
be posted at the beginning of the week corresponding
to each unit.
 Week 1 (July 8-14): Units 1 and 2
 Week 4 (July 29-August 4): Unit 7
 Week 5 (August 5-11): Units 8 and 9
 Week 6 (August 12-16): Unit 10 + final paper
(Note: short week!)
You should be aiming to catch up with the course so
that you complete each unit by the end of the week it is
assigned.
Unit 1: Introduction to the Course

Subject
How the course will work; expectations of
professor and students; overview of assignments
and evaluation; goals for the course
Unit Objectives
Students will understand how to succeed in this
course; how to contact the instructor; how to
make use of course resources; and how to use the
Blackboard interface
Offline Coursework/Homework
Read the syllabus and netiquette documents
9
Online Coursework
Complete an introductory journal entry and
participate in discussion forum.
Unit 2: Introduction to Russia

Subject
Recent history of Russian politics and
governance; the basics of Russian culture and
society; an introduction to Vladimir Putin’s
biography.
Unit Objectives
Students will understand the changes and
continuities between Soviet and Russian foreign-
policy objectives; the transitions between the
Soviet and Yeltsin eras; and the major shifts in
Russian foreign policy since 1993.
 Colton, Russia (entire—don’t worry, you’ll be
guided through how to read this!).
 Vox.com “From Spy to President: The Rise of
Vladimir Putin”. 2017. (Online video.)
 Kotkin, Stephen. “Russia’s Perpetual
Geopolitics.” Foreign Affairs May/June 2016.
 Trenin, Dmitri. 2016. “Russia’s Post-Soviet
Journey.” Foreign Affairs.
 Optional: Legvold, Robert. 2001. “Russia’s
Unformed Foreign Policy.” Foreign Affairs.
Online Coursework
10
Unit 3: Identity, Status, and Foreign Policy

Subject
How national identity affects foreign policy; how
national identity is constructed and understood;
how different groups understand national identity
differently; how “national” identity may not be the
same as “state” identity; how desires for
international status affect states’ behavior
Unit Objectives
Students will engage with theories of identity,
status, and world politics, summarize how
Russian identity has changed (and stayed the
same), and contrast identity-based explanations
with institutional ones
 Soroka, George. 2018. “Blessings and Curses
from Constantinople.” Foreign Affairs 25
October.
 Gunitsky, Seva. “One Word to Improve U.S.
Russia Policy.” The New Republic 27 April
2018.
 Hopf, Ted. 2012. “The Evolution of Russia’s
Place in the World: 1991-2011.”
Demokratizatsiya.
 Clunan, Anne L. 2014. “Historical aspirations
and the domestic politics of Russia’s pursuit
of international status.” Communist and
Post-Communist Studies.
 Zevelev, Igor. “Russian National Identity and
Foreign Policy.” CSIS
 Lavrov, Sergey, “Russia’s Foreign Policy:
Historical Background”
 Gunitsky and Tsygankov, “The Wilsonian Bias
in the Study of Russian Foreign Policy”,
Problems of Post-Communism 2018
11
Online Coursework
Unit 4: Vladimir Putin

Subject
How Vladimir Putin rose to power; how Putin
maintains power; how Putin’s personality shapes
foreign policy; how Putin’s power is limited by
other actors and institutions in Russia
Unit Objectives
Students will place Vladimir Putin’s style and
strategies within the logic of institutionalist and
identity frameworks; students will identify the
bases of Putin’s power and its limits; students will
explain why outside observers misinterpret or
exaggerate Putin’s power
 McFaul, Michael. 2018. “Is Putinism the
Russian Norm or an Aberration?” Current
History
 Gais, Hannah. 2017. “Who’s Afraid of the
Russian Soul?” The Baffler
 Sperling, Valerie. 2015. “The Purpose of
Putin’s Machismo.” Current History
 Russia Without Putin (selections—you will be
guided through how to read this!)
Online Coursework
Unit 5: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

Subject
How Russia relates to the rest of the former
Soviet Union; how Russia came to violently
12
intervene in Georgia and Ukraine; how the rise of

China has affected Russian ties with Central Asia;
how Soviet legacies influence Russian behavior
Unit Objectives
Students will explain the consequences of the
Georgian War and ongoing conflict in the Ukraine;
will debate potential explanations for Russia’s
behavior throughout the near abroad; and analyze
how Chinese influence has remade Central Asian
relations.
 Dubrov, Arkady. 2018. “Reflecting on a
Quarter Century of Russia’s Relations with
Central Asia.” U.S.-Russia Insight.
 Götz, Elias. 2017. “Putin, the State, and War:
The Causes of Russia’s Near Abroad
Assertion Revisited.” International Studies
Review.
 Friedman, Jeremy. 2017. “The Revolutionary
Roots of Russian Foreign Policy.” Current
History.
 “Putin’s Revenge,” Part 1 and 2, Frontline
2017. (Online library streaming.)
 Vice, “The Russians are coming: Georgia’s
creeping occupation.” Online video.
Online Coursework
Unit 6: Russia and Europe

Subject
Economic and security relations between Europe
and Russia; divisions between different parts of
Europe over approaches to Russia; changes in
European-Russian relations since the Ukraine war
13
Unit Objectives
Students will identify which parts of Europe feel
greater security threats from Russia and why; will
analyze why the Ukraine war has had such
profound effects; and will debate theories about
what European strategies toward Russian
interests should be
Readings (all available online):
 Pezard et al, European Relations with
Russia: Threat Perceptions, Responses, and
Strategies in the Wake of the Ukrainian
Crisis, RAND, Chapters 1, 2, and 4
 V.V. Putin, “Munich Speech,” 2007
 Mearsheimer, John J. 2014. “Why the
Ukraine Crisis is the West’s Fault.” Foreign
Affairs
 DeutscheWelle. 2019. “Is Germany making
Europe dependent on Russia?” Online video.
 The Guardian, “Europe’s frontline: the
Latvians caught in Russia and Nato’s Baltic
war games”. Online video.
Online Coursework
Unit 7: Russia and China

Subject
The history and present of Sino-Russian relations;
the changing economic center of gravity of Sino-
Russian relations; whether security relations
between Moscow and Beijing will form a lasting
alliance or are merely a tactical alignment
14
Unit Objectives
Students will identify major turning points in the
Sino-Russian relationship; describe Russian
perceptions of the important advantages and
threats of the relationship; and evaluate
contending assessments of the future of the
relationship.
 Quested, Rosemary. Selections from Sino-
Russian Relations: A Short History.
 National Bureau of Asian Research Special
Report #66, July 2017, Russia-China
Relations: Assessing Common Ground and
Strategic Fault Lines
 Gabuev, Alexander. 2018. “Why Russia and
China are Strengthening Security Ties.”
Foreign Affairs.
 Aron, Leon. 2019. “Are Russia and China
Really Forming an Alliance?” Foreign Affairs
 Deutsche Welle. 2012. “Boom and bust along
Chinese-Russian border.” Online video.
 Al-Jazeera. 2018. “Can Russia and China
Trust Each Other?” Online video.
 Stronski, Paul, and Nicole Ng. 2018.
Cooperation and Competition: Russia and
China in Central Asia, the Russian Far East,
and the Arctic. Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace.
o Read the Summary, Introduction, History,
Implications, and one of the following:
Central Asia, The Russian Far East, The
Arctic.
Online Coursework
15

Unit 8: Russia and the United States

Subject
The move from partnership to hostility in U.S.-
Russian relations; how and why Moscow decided
to intervene in the U.S. presidential election of
2016; whether the current hostilities constitute a
new Cold War.
Unit Objectives
Students will discuss major recent events in U.S.-
Russian relations; analyze the security
relationships as seen from both sides; summarize
the arguments for and against the proposition
that “a new Cold War” is beginning.
 Graham, Thomas. 2019. “U.S.-Russian
Relations in a New Era.” The National
Interest. January 6.
 Ashford, Emma. 2018. “How Reflexive
Hostility to Russia Harms U.S. Interests.”
Foreign Affairs 20 April.
 Osnos, Remnick, and Yaffa, “Trump, Putin,
and the New Cold War”, The New Yorker
 Westad, Odd Arne. 2018. “Has a New Cold
War Really Begun?” Foreign Affairs
 Dorfman, “The Secret History of the Russian
Consulate in San Francisco”, Foreign Policy
 The Mueller Report, Introduction and
Executive Summary, Volume 1
 Oliker, Olga. 2018. “Moscow’s Nuclear
Enigma: What is Russia’s Arsenal Really
For?” Foreign Affairs
16
 OPTIONAL: Sokolov, Boris, Ronald F.

Inglehard, Eduard Ponarin, Irina Vartanova,
and William Zimmerman. 2018.
“Disillusionment and Anti-Americanism in
Russia: From Pro-American to Anti-American
Attitudes, 1993-2009.” International Studies
Quarterly.
Online Coursework
Unit 9: Russia and the Middle East

Subject
Russia’s intervention into Syria; Russian relations
with Israel; Moscow’s policy toward the Arab
Muslim world.
Unit Objectives
Students will identify reasons for Russia to
intervene into Syria; will evaluate why relations
between Moscow and Israel have improved; and
will explain how identity, status, and domestic
politics contribute to Russian behavior.
 Trenin, What is Russia Up to…?
 “Russia’s Deepening Military Involvement in
Syria”, 2018, panel by The Washington
Institute for Near East Policy
 Gibbons-Neff, Thomas. 2018. “How a 4-Hour
Battle Between Russian Mercenaries and
U.S. Commandos Unfolded in Syria.” The
New York Times.
 Krasna, Joshua. 2018. “Moscow on the
Mediterranean: Russia and Israel’s
Relationship.” Foreign Policy Research
Institute.
17
 DeutscheWelle, 2019, “Syrian War trophies

on a propaganda tour,” Online video.
Online Coursework
Unit 10: Russia and the Future

Subject
The future of Russian foreign policy in a changing
world.
Unit Objectives
Students will synthesize the previous eight
sections to reflect on what will be the most
important and consequential features of Russian
foreign policy.
Read the syllabus and netiquette documents
Online Coursework
18

2019 Summer Online Russian Foreign Policy Draft Syllabus

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2019 Summer Online Russian Foreign Policy Draft Syllabus

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Russian Foreign Policy

designed to make the world to appear to be a

A Note on the Syllabus

Class Materials and Recordings Policy

Professor’s Office Hours

Course Assessments and

assess which of the various claims you find to be most

Course Units and Assignments

Unit 1: Introduction to the Course

Unit 2: Introduction to Russia

Unit 3: Identity, Status, and Foreign Policy

Unit 4: Vladimir Putin

Unit 5: Russia and the Former Soviet Union

intervene in Georgia and Ukraine; how the rise of

Unit 6: Russia and Europe

Unit 7: Russia and China

Complete an introductory journal entry and

Unit 8: Russia and the United States

 OPTIONAL: Sokolov, Boris, Ronald F.

Unit 9: Russia and the Middle East

 DeutscheWelle, 2019, “Syrian War trophies

Unit 10: Russia and the Future

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