Putin’s Western choice: Too good to be true?

Article abstract:

This article examines Russia's pro-Western shift in the aftermath of the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The shift in Russia's policy has taken many in the West by surprise, and there has not been a coherent response to it. The article attempts to assess the cumulative impact of countervailing forces in Russia in order to offer an opinion about the sustainability of Russia's current European orientation. There are strong domestic forces opposing Putin's Western choice, which will likely reassert themselves sooner or later.

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