The Paper looks at the question of relationship between the evolution of the Russian foreign policy priorities as evidenced in the Foreign Policy Concepts (2008, 2013, 2016) and public opinion regarding the foreign policy related issues as measures by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) between 2008 and 2016.
It turns out that as general support for the policy course remains high, whereas the perception of international threats to the country’s security has witnessed considerable fluctuations. Moreover, the Russians demonstrate important shift in perceiving the country’s international image and the amity/enmity feelings towards the others. These changes are equivalently fixed inside the Foreign Policy Concepts as they have been reformulated and updated.
Public opinion, however, cannot be defined as key driver of Russian international behavior. The state has sought to shape, rather than respond to public opinion. At the same time, in doing so it has based itself on historically shared perceptions and beliefs, somewhat altering them to the changing internationals circumstances.
