Russia is often seen as being beyond comprehension, an enigma. Yet Russia's contemporary realities are firmly rooted in its historical experiences and current and future shallenges - issues that are within our intellectual grasp. The aim of this book is to illuminate the persistent patterns and future trajectories of developments in Russia and their relevance to Europe. This work elaborates the concepts and practices of Russian power, society and the Russian idea. It offers an analytic take on the key issues of Russia's identity and its future role as a European state in an increasingly turbulent world. This work is based on presentations to an international seminar on Russia held in June 2009, in Helsinki.