U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Eurasia, 1991-2023

The Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked the greatest crisis since the Cold War and has put Eurasia again at the center of global politics. This course examines the evolution of American foreign policy toward Eurasia from 1991 onward. It seeks to identify the factors that have driven American policy, placing theoretical perspectives that emphasize geopolitical and balance-of-power considerations alongside those that focus on domestic politics and regime type. What are American objectives in Eurasia and how have they evolved? What roles do ideas, institutions, and individuals play in the formulation and execution of foreign policy?