Role of the Old Imperial Center
Journal: Cambridge University Press eBooks
Year: 2020

When the USSR dissolved and Russia became a new independent country, it “lost’ its empire of centuries and its identity as the central dominant core of that empire. A few leaders and intellectuals promoted the development of a New Russia – democratic and globally oriented – but many retained the imperialist ambitions, requiring rebuilding of the empire in a new form. This view in the end won the day, especially under President Putin since 2000, although it did not mean “Back to the USSR” (pace B