Putins Foreign Policy Changes during His First Presidential Term - Dissertation Example

Our world, since its ‘origination’ has been a ‘hotbed’ of activity. Activity in the sense, we humans have been showing activeness both mentally and physically, which have transformed our globe from a primitive one to an advanced one. The activities are normally carried out by humans, organizing or segregating themselves into different countries or nations. It is common knowledge that for a country to reach the top echelons, its leader has to be very capable and strong. That is, a capable and strong leader will only be able to provide a better life and future for his/her country and its citizens.

From time immemorial, the success or failure of a country depends on the role, the leader plays. The leader is the one who can lead humans under him/her to ‘heaven’ or ‘hell’. And, if the leader of a country is imbued with positive traits, he/ she can ‘sprinkle’ success on many lives, and take his/her country in the path of success in all the aspects, including the important aspect of foreign relations with other countries.Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, is one such capable and strong leader who emerged from the ‘shadows’ of the Soviet secret police and the lower-level government jobs to become the most powerful man in Russia.

Since, President Putin was ‘propelled’ into the Kremlin by Boris Yeltsin, without being elected to any major public office; his ‘resume’ was bereft, without any record of achievements, initiatives or even failures. So, there were no major expectations among the Russian people. But, he defied both domestic and also foreign expectations of inactivity and failure, by moving away from the Yeltsin’s agenda, and presiding over a period of strong economic growth, significant restructuring and rising international prestige.

 Yet, Putin himself remains a man of contradictions. Because, during his first term in office, he pursued an increasingly pro-western foreign policy coupled with liberal economic reforms, while at the same time, he continued a hard-line war in Chechnya and introduced tighter controls over parliament and the media, which were reminiscent of the Soviet era.