Foreign policy and leader's domestic political costs: analysis in the frames of social constructivism

In the article the authors conduct an analysis of the attitudes of the Russians to foreign policy decisions and the formation of domestic costs on the basis of primary empirical data, obtained through the survey (N = 600). As examples, the following decisions are considered: reintegration of the Crimea with the Russian Federation; counterterrorist operation in Syria, conducted by the Russian military forces; the ban on the import to Russia of some food and agricultural products from the countries, which introduced anti-Russian economic sanctions. The authors argue that among the Russians there is the dominant attitude to support foreign policy. The foundations for the support is created by the success in the realization of the interests, dealing with the maintenance of positive national identity, which is comprehended not only from the viewpoint of the preservation of national culture and values, but the provision of political independence and sovereignty, as well. In its turn, the emergence of home policy losses deals mainly with the failures in the realization of the interests of economic prosperity. On the base of the opinion-poll interviews, it is found out that continuation of the politics of reciprocal sanctions and realization of counterterrorist operation in Syria open the possibility for the new internal or external challenges and activation of domestic opposition. The emergence of these prospects is connected with the existence of the alternative conceptions of identity and national interests, constructed by the political actors in home politics and on the international arena.