Increasingly, the armed forces have a vision of security as emphasising hard rather than soft security, a view which has come to the forefront in Moscow's national security policy process. Due to this institutionally-driven vision, Russia sees itself facing increasing military-political and strategic threats all along its frontiers. Recent Russian policies reflect that perception and Moscow's adaptation to it. Russian and American perspectives and policies are mutually interactive; they do not take place in a strategic vacuum devoid of all context, and develop to a considerable degree in response to the other side's activities and rhetoric. This book is an overview of the Russian political, economic, and security issues, as well as U.S. interests.