The first thing that comes to mind when we talk about action - it is a question of

The first thing that comes to mind when we talk about action - it is a question of "who acts?", Ie question on the subject. In this case, the subject is a Russian political elite. Many commentators are inclined to consider the contradictory foreign policy as a consequence of the inhomogeneity of the elite, as a manifestation of the struggle between two elite groups, conditionally, smartfreen andromax "pro-Western liberals" and "siloviki-patriots" (an interesting study of the structure of this class can be found in O.Kryshtanovskoy "Anatomy of the Russian elite "). Everything seems simple: "liberal" Medvedev handed over Libya, "patriot" Putin has refused to hand over Syria. However, it seems to me that this difference is exaggerated. smartfreen andromax
Modern elite consensus began in the late 90-ies of XX century in the situation of tough confrontation "liberal" executive and "left-patriotic" opposition in parliament against the backdrop of the deplorable results of the economic "reforms". During his first term, Putin, trying to stabilize the system, he inherited from Yeltsin borrowed popular slogans and ideas of "patriots", but left no heirs to manage the economy Gaidar (Gref, Kudrin, Elvira, etc.). Such unnatural alliance was successful and preserved to this day, but its basis is tough enough "division of labor" in which foreign policy is not the prerogative of the "liberals" (their fiefdom is the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development). It is difficult to imagine, for example, as part of the cabinets Kudrin MFA or the President and requires smartfreen andromax that whatsoever in terms of foreign policy. (Of course, this is an oversimplification, but it seems plausible to me). The structure of the elite class can amplify the ambivalence of our actions on the world stage, but it is not its cause.
Search subject suitable as a starting point of our thinking, but it should not become the end (all the trouble "conspiracy theories"). Common sense dictates that the "elite" as the subject of foreign policy smartfreen andromax operates within certain "circumstances". In general terms, they can be represented as a space power relations, given the distribution of various resources: symbolic (fame, prestige, recognition, etc.), economic, administrative, physical violence, etc. (However, the very "elite" can be regarded as a specific space force - a fine example of such a theoretical "optics" can be found in N.Eliasa in his brilliant "court society"). Accordingly, one of the major constraints that define the objective smartfreen andromax space capabilities, smartfreen andromax is legitimacy, understood as a form of recognition: this or that foreign policy in the eyes of the population will be considered as more or less corresponding to the interests of the country. (Those supporters Realpolitik, which are now wrinkled nose, it should be recalled that the role played by the President of the rating smartfreen andromax for all zero - and still plays). Unable to ignore the long symbolic power base without serious consequences. However, if Russia's foreign policy projection of public opinion outside, it would have been deprived of even the shadow of inconsistency: since the beginning of the bombing of Yugoslavia by NATO forces in 1999 and the remarkable reversal Primakov aircraft over the Atlantic Ocean, our audience is obviously set to collective supercritical " west "spiritual home homegrown" liberals. " Important indicator, which speaks in favor of this hypothesis is that during the recent confrontation smartfreen andromax government and the opposition, the latter completely ignored foreign policy agenda, while the main argument was the first opposition defamatory communication with external "partners". The last time an act of "symbolic violence" against the opposition was the adoption of the law "Foreign Agents", which would be meaningless if the adjective smartfreen andromax "foreign" smartfreen andromax is not discredited. Thus, the ambivalence of our foreign policy is not associated with the state of public debate and public opinion. Where is the "missing mass"?
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