The fall of the Berlin Wall, the lifting of the "Iron Curtain" and the withering away of Communist ideology had evoked tremendous hopes for a unified Europe, a region which now also encompasses the East, including a democratic and economically reformed Russia. This volume of essays dwells on the challenge facing Russia in establishing its new identity which will have a direct bearing on the course its foreign policy is likely to steer in the future. Gabriel Gorodetsky unravels President Putin's efforts to re-establish Russia's position as a major power, attempting to reconcile Russia's traditional national interests with the newly emerging social and political entity taking shape at home. The book's analysis of Russia's role in various conflict regions the Balkans, Chechnya, the Middle East and China demonstrates how this process is being affected by various constraints, particularly those imposed by the exigencies of a diffused "New World Order", in which contradictory forces, such as globalization, regionalism and US unilateralism, seem to reign supreme, especially following the events of 11 September 2001.