Goltsov A. Geostrategy of the Russian Federation in the Post-Soviet Space.

The interpretation of geostrategy in the broadest sense as a set of main goals, objectives and principles of the state’s foreign policy at various levels of the geospatial organization of the world is given. The geostrategy foresees general planning of state actions, elaboration of tools and methods for the implementation of geopolitics in the international arena. Geostrategy in the narrow sense is understood as political strategy of state in the geospace. It performs an integrative role regarding other types of strategy and involves the use of certain geopolitical tools for specific geospatial objects. Thus, geostrategy of the state determines the basic tactical principles of its geopolitics. It is revealed that contemporary neo-empires differ from classical empires primarily due to their informal character. The neo-imperial geostrategy has a “hybrid” character, it combines leadership, hegemony, as well as imperial goals and directions. The neo-imperial geopolitics involves the effective use of tactical means of “hard power” and “soft power”. The eclectic character of contemporary Russian ideology, which combines “sovereign democracy”, neo-imperial statehood, neo-imperial nationalism, Neo-Eurasianism, etc., is revealed. It is proved that geopolitical ideology in Russia is neo-imperial. Russian domestic geopolitics in the regional and ethnic dimensions has a neo-imperial character. The main directions of geostrategy and means of geopolitics the RF’s in the international scene are largely connected with its domestic geopolitics. Since 2000s, the Russian government has embraced the geostrategy of creation of the geopolitical system in the post-Soviet space, which can be qualified as an informal neo-imperial one. At macroregional level, geostrategy of the RF is, essentially, neo-imperial and has a complex character. Russia’s geostrategy concerning the post-Soviet countries is “combined”, because it implicates the focus on cooperation with hidden expansionism.