Putin's Russia and Restoring a Multipolar World

Abstract

This research paper explores the different methods and means utilized in Russian foreign policy as Moscow, under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, attempts to restore a multipolar international system. Putin’s rise to power has seen a restoration of national Russian identity and a diversified approach to the execution of foreign policy. This study has compiled and analyzed evidence, facts, and documents to portray how the 2014 annexation of Crimea and the 2015 military intervention in Syria are pivotal in the general trend observed in Russian foreign policy under Putin. By applying Neorealist and Social Constructivist approaches, this thesis concludes that the effective start of the multi-polarization campaign by the Kremlin was initiated in 2007. Yet, the campaign’s culmination is represented by the military intervention in Syria in 2015.