Abstract
Between 1999 and 2016, the International Relations literature and media channels often neglected the linkage between Putin's domestic and foreign policies and how his interpretation of Russian history shaped this tandem. Generally speaking, much of the published analysis and commentary has treated Putin's authoritarianism at home and activities in the Black Sea as two distinct entities and independent of Russia's ancient history. This thesis challenges this tendency. Indeed, the central research question underpinning this investigation analyses the relationship between Putin’s domestic and foreign policy approaches between 1999 and 2016. By employing a longue durée methodological perspective and applying the concept of political-strategic culture to the period under review, I attempt to advance an understanding that Putin's illiberal agenda, both at home and abroad, has been the manifestation of the values and interests articulated by past Russian ruling elites (988-1998). In essence, I argue that Putin's political decisions in Ukraine and Crimea and the strengthening power vertical style of rule at home are strategically interlinked choices that reflect the Russian leader’s understanding of the lessons bequeathed by previous ruling elites for promoting Russia’s great power aspirations in the context of the internal and external other.