Reassessing Russia's Security Policy

This presentation will provide a detailed analysis of the evolution of Russia’s security policy. Based on extensive original research, including an analysis of official documents, political and military elite speeches, interviews, and reports, and considering the subject from the early 20th century onward, the book evaluates how far Russia’s security policy is underpinned by “strategic asymmetry”—the acceptance by Russia of its inferior military position, and the pursuit of its strategic aims through the application of a variety of methods, military and non-military, including the manipulation of public opinion, the use of economic leverage, and external security approaches—known as Russia’s “hybrid war operations”—to gain the advantage over a militarily and economically superior adversary. It will discuss how Russia’s security policy has been and is being applied in specific cases, including the present war in Ukraine, the Russian anti-satellite program, and Russia’s contemporary Afghan policy. Based on his recently published book, Reassessing Russia's Security Policy, Nurlan Aliyev will explain how and why Russia uses different security strategies and methods using these three cases.

Nurlan Aliyev holds a Ph.D. in philosophy and security studies. His research area is primarily focused on Russia’s foreign and security policy, the Arctic, strategic studies, geopolitics and geoeconomics of Eurasia. He is a senior research fellow in European Neighbourhood Chair at the College of Europe in Natolin. Since 2005 he has been providing consultancy for various government, non-government and international institutions, including UN organizations and EU institutions, government institutions of the region countries and U.S. Department of State. Nurlan Aliyev is the author of “Reassessing Russia's Security Policy”.