Development of Russia's Approach to Interaction with the U.S. in the Field of Counterterrorism since 2001

At the beginning of the 2000s, international terrorism united Russia and the United States, which became allies, as V. Putin stated. Nevertheless, even though terrorism still poses a common threat to both states, there are no improvements in the bilateral relations and coordinated policy on anti-terrorism. Therefore, research on the development of anti-terrorist cooperation between Moscow and Washington and the role of anti-terrorism in the Russian foreign policy could widen our understanding of the Russian foreign strategy development and the current degradation of Russian-American relations. Although academic papers dedicated to the Russian foreign policy and relations between Moscow and Washington are abundant, the anti-terrorist field is commonly beyond the analysis. Besides, scientists and experts pay attention primarily to the factors of the international system, domestic affairs, or historical background. That is why the role of individuals (cognitive process) seems underestimated. In this regard, the paper provides research on anti-terrorism in the Russian foreign policy and Russian-American relations based on the discourse analysis. Considering the provisions of the constructivism, particularly the securitization theory, as well as Van Dijk’s critical discourse studies, applying the cognitive mapping of social networks technique, the author scrutinizes statements of the Russian officials involved in foreign policy decision making, compares discourse with the development of the international environment, as well as the foreign policy and social practices of the Russian authorities. In this way, it appears possible to identify the logic of the development of the Russian foreign strategy, its interaction with the U.S., and anti-terrorist politics. The author concludes that anti-terrorist politics is the part of ideological competition between Moscow and Washington, in which two concepts of sovereignty – modernistic and post-modernistic – clash. These concepts lie in the foundations of the Russian and American leaders’ worldviews on the proper world order they promote.