EDITOR'S NOTE.

• Author: Ataman, Muhittin
• Position: Russia's role in international military affairs - Editorial

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it took a while for Russia to recover from an existential crisis. As one of the poles of the global system during the Cold War, the Soviet regime lost its raison d'etre after the collapse of the USSR, while the other pole, the U.S., declared its victory or as is considered by some scholars 'the end of history' At the end of the 1990s, the Russian Federation, the main inheritor of the Soviets, recovered from the confusion, the identity crisis and the political instability. Under the strong leadership of Vladimir Putin, Russia has become an increasingly significant actor in the global politics; it returned to its traditional great power politics and began to follow a more assertive foreign policy. It is commonly accepted now that the Russian leaders are determined to restore Russian global position and to consolidate its role as one of the main power-centers of the emerging multi-power system.

Although some analysts argue that Russia is currently a power in decline due to its deteriorating economic conditions in the last few years, it should be noted that Moscow still continues to play a significant role for the resolution of important issues such as the Syrian crisis and fight against international terrorism. It also maintains its geopolitical hegemony in the former Soviet space, constitutes a major challenge to NATO in the military/strategic realm and develops a special political and economic relationship with China. All these factors make Russia an indispensable actor for the study and analysis of international politics in the 21 (st) century.

Apart from its massive size and crucial geographical location at the heart of the Eurasian landmass, Russia also possesses rich energy resources, advanced nuclear capabilities and a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council which altogether enable it to project significant hard and soft power in various regions and forums extending from the Eastern Europe and Black Sea to Central Asia, Caucasus and the Middle East. Russia plays a predominant role in global-scale economic and political platforms such as the United Nations (UN), G-20, BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Moreover, Russia successfully challenged NATO's intended eastward expansionism and penetration.

Russia consolidated its global position especially in the last few years as indicated by its remarkable military campaign in Syria as well as its strong influence in the...