Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2018 in the subject Politics - Topic: International relations, grade: A, , language: English, abstract: This paper focuses on Russia's evolving perception of NATO and the Kremlin's concern of the alliance's intentions. Russian perception in the post Cold War has gone full circle from viewing NATO as an organization to join and strengthen Russia's pro-Western identity choice to perceiving the alliance as a military and civilizational threat. The experience of the Cold War besides the interaction of the post-Cold War with NATO contributed to Russia's increasingly hardening perception of the alliance.

It concentrates on Russiäs competition with the West, Afghanistan still proves to be the battleground. Russian desires and expectation from its contemporary policy in Afghanistan, for which there is a need to understand. Maintaining its influence and preventing U.S. military bases in the region are the priorities of Moscow¿s Afghan policy, besides challenging the United States amidst worsening relations between Moscow and Washington. The Russian assumption as per which the Taliban will play a huge role in the country in the near future, and therefore aims to be on good terms with the Taliban. Reassuring Central Asian states that their security concerns and also having a control on the potentiality of spillover effects. These are taken seriously remains a key priority for the Russian government and has been central in public comments.