The United States and Russia in the New World Order: The Dynamics of Reciprocity and the Attributional Assessment of Perception and Behavior

Abstract

International relations research has examined the relationship of the United States and Russia using a theoretical framework of reciprocity. The reciprocity research has subsumed the attributional characteristics of these actions and events that have shaped this relationship. This study evaluates the relationship between the United States and Russia. This dyadic relationship is examined by a reconceptualization of the character of reciprocal interaction between the United States and Russia. Reciprocity and attribution theory provide a heuristic to elucidate the transition to a New World Order. The international relations research on reciprocity reveals the general case for reciprocity between the United States and Russia. Attribution theory permits the decomposition of the perceptual and behavioral states of dyadic interactants. This paper proposes the reconceptualization of the reciprocal relationship between the US and Russia using attribution theory. Reciprocity has been examined in terms of the levels of cooperation and conflict (Azar