Geopolitical Rivalries in the "Common Neighborho – Russia's Conflict with the West, Soft Power, and Neoclassical Realism

Vasif Huseynov argues that if nuclear-armed powers compete to expand their sphere of influence, they use soft power as a major instrument while military power remains a tool to back up their foreign policies. He focuses on the rivalries between Russia and the West over the states located between the EU and Russia, primarily Ukraine and Belarus.