Moscow is no longer merely reacting to Western pressure—it is actively re-engineering the global order. The 2023 Russian Foreign Policy Concept is not a defensive manifesto; it is a civilizational declaration. At its core, the document articulates Russia's transition from a "would-be Western partner" to a self-proclaimed Civilization-State —a distinct pole of power determined to dismantle U.S. hegemony, erect a polycentric world order, and fortify its Eurasian backyard against what the Kremlin perceives as existential encirclement. 1. The Near Abroad: CIS & The "Fortress Eurasia" Strategy Moscow assigns top strategic priority to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. This is not Soviet nostalgia; it is cold realpolitik . The "Near Abroad" serves as Russia's non-negotiable strategic buffer, bound by centuries of shared history, linguistic ties,...