Damian Strycharz is an assistant professor of Political Science at the Cracow University of Economics. Damian holds a PhD in Politics and International Relations from the University of Edinburgh. His research interests include Russia's foreign policy and relations with the former Soviet states, domestic political sources of foreign policy, and role theory. He has held positions at the University of Edinburgh and Jagiellonian University, Cracow.

Introduction 1. Domestic actors in Russia's foreign policy-making 2. Russia's foreign policy and role theory 3. Methods and codebook 4. Internal development, partnership with the West and the Rose Revolution 5. The Orange Revolution and the dominance of the partner of the West role 6. Russia's changing self-perception and intervention in Georgia 7. The Ukraine crisis and the defender of compatriots role 8. Shifts in dominant national role conceptions and changes in Russia's foreign policy 9. Conclusions