The word “modernization” has become ubiquitous in almost all major government policies and initiatives since the 2009 release of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev’s “Go Russia!” policy manifesto, where he called for the modernization of Russia’s economy and society. This has been especially evident in Russian foreign policy, which has been seeking to attract foreign investment in new high tech sectors of the Russian economy in order to further the cause of modernization.

An internal argument over higher taxes on business has been shepherded to a close by Russia’s prime minister Vladimir Putin in a decision that deals a blow to Russia’s innovation-based small businesses. The compromise also represents a setback for President Dmitry Medvedev, who has spearheaded attempts to stimulate small business, in the run-up to parliamentary elections this fall and the presidential election next spring.

Russia has chosen to back India’s accession to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a non-treaty based group seeking to limit the spread of sensitive nuclear technology. While the NSG in name was formed as a near-direct consequence of India’s 1974 so-called “peaceful” nuclear test, Russia and other nuclear powers are now seeking to admit New Delhi into the select group which asserts control over nuclear exports, allowing India a say into the group’s future decisions and moving to erase remaining doubt as to the legitimacy of its nuclear arsenal.

In the 2008 Russia-Georgia crisis, Russian computer programmers, known as crackers, timed cyber-assaults on Georgian government websites to coincide with the Russian military’s ground invasion. The attacks, while apparently decentralized from and unsanctioned by the Russian command, were a proof-of-concept for a new form of warfare.

Russia has recently emerged as an important ally of the United States. Not only does the United States need Russian assistance in dealing with uncooperative states and in a supporting role in Afghanistan, but Europe is also finding Russian cooperation to be extremely useful. As the United States and NATO seek Russian assistance in several global regions, these states and institutions are recognizing that Moscow is no longer as dependent on their support as it once was.