The author of the monograph, German scholar Felix Riefer, has set out to study the impact of the analytical developments of the institutions within the Russian Academy of Sciences and leading Russian universities on the trajectory of Russia's foreign policy du- ring the period of 2000–2018. The researcher has successfully applied the methodology of political science and sociology. He has conducted a number of interesting interviews with leading analysts. The author provides numerous examples of the activities of Russian think tanks and their impact on the Kremlin's foreign policy. Overall, the author has achieved his objective. Summing up the research, Riefer confirms that think tanks have become the fifth power in the world (after the Legislative, Executive, Judiciary, and the «fourth» power of the mass media). They have a tangible impact on the decision-making of the ruling circles. The Russian Federation is no exception in this regard.
Russia; Kremlin; Putin; foreign policy; West; Think Tanks.