[Report by Andrey Yashlavskiy, citing opinions of Russian political experts: "We Are No Longer a Great Power" - taken from html version of source provided by ISP]

Russia's trouble is that the West underestimates it

The Concept of RF Foreign Policy was published last week, and president Medvedev, at a meeting with Russian diplomats, outlined his vision of how and where Russia should move in the international arena.

A document is a document. There is always a gap between the declarations and the real policy, between the desirable and the achievable. All the same, the Concept gives a partial idea of the priorities in foreign policy that the state is setting itself. It is especially interesting if we compare the Concept of Foreign Policy for 2000 - the start of the Putin era - with the present Concept of the first year of Medvedev's presidency. Leading political scientists expressed their opinions, especially for MK, on the key positions of the Concept of Russian Foreign Policy.

[Yashlavskiy] The 2000 Concept of Foreign Policy called Russia a "great power." In the present Concept, Russia is named, not a "great," but a "major Eurasian power." Is this change of concept a random one?

Eduard Solovyev, director of the Theory of Policy Sector of the RAN [Russian Academy of Sciences] IMEMO [World Economic and International Relations Institute]:

"At that tine, eight years ago, against the background of the difficult foreign-policy and economic situation caused by the crisis of the 1990's and the default of 1998, it was important to declare that we were a great power. At the present moment, Russia no longer needs this. Right now it is a fact that we are serious players in the world arena. There is no need for sensational declarations."

Aleksander Pap, director of Programmes on Russia and Eurasia at the German Foreign-Policy Council (Berlin):

"I think that Russia has simply realized that the term 'great power' only irritated Western partners. In order to be a great power, you must first create the appropriate infrastructure, and in the end, feed your own people. Otherwise it is all left simply hanging in the air. A 'Eurasian power' - is all right - it indicates an orientation, for example, towards structures such as the SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organization]. The possibility is not ruled out that in the next Foreign Policy Concept, the expression 'energetic superpower' will be applied to Russia. The fact that the concept 'great power' was replaced by 'Eurasian,' is not a random thing. Whereas only recently the Eurasian space was more of a philosophical concept, it is now increasingly acquiring a real political sound."

Aleksey Makarkin, deputy general director of the Political Technologies Centre:

"A more practical evaluation of the situation is in progress. In 2000 this was a claim heard against the background of quite dramatic events. In 1998 it was the default, and in 1999 the second Chechen war began. The 'great power' formulation was to impart optimism - there was a need to affirm ourselves in some way. Now, however, we have apparently passed the period of self-affirmation, and hardly need any extra whipping ourselves up and adding to ourselves through a formula. So the concept 'Eurasian power' is more appropriate to the present situation."

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[Yashlavskiy] If we talk about the main vectors of Russian foreign policy, in what way does the present Concept differ from the past one?

Eduard Solovyev:

"The emphasis on Russia's support of the basic points of international law is interesting. International law has suddenly appeared as a sort of substitute for ideology. We no longer profess liberalism, democracy or any other sort of 'ism.' We are in favour of the law and in favour of peace throughout the world - and are ready to cooperate on this plane with all people of good will. This is the concept of 'armed neutrality' for the de-facto multipolar world which is being formed. True, there is one flaw here. It is clear that international law is a conventional system, and moreover, an evolving one. Our task is not only to preserve the museum-like inviolability of the basic principles of international law, but also to be in a position to make a competent evaluation of the need for changes. Here the Concept is maximally terse - 'to assist in the codification and progressive development of international law, above all, that which is implemented under the aegis of the UN.'

"The CIS space is regarded as the main regional priority, but the development of integrated projects is specified in a different format. Priority is given, in the sphere of security, to the ODKB [Collective Security Treaty Organization], and in the economic sphere - to the YevrAzES [Eurasian Economic Community].