Russian President Vladimir Putin has implemented a set of policies toward his neighbors intended to help him re-establish his countrys status as a major world power. These have included dominating, as far as possible, the independent states that once were part of the USSR and preventing further NATO encroachment on Russias borders. He has also sought a pragmatic partnership with China to help bolster the Russian economy in the face of Western sanctions and declining revenues from oil and gas. This book argues that Putins efforts have been largely, although not entirely, successful. Inthe future, however, the weakness of the Russian economy as compared to Chinas may pose a threat to Moscows ability to maintain a Russian sphere of influence in its own neighborhood.