THE HEAD OF THE FOREIGN Affairs Committee of the Russian Duma, Vladimir Lukin, has called the negotiations on a nuclear deal with Iran the “diplomacy of several doors” – in reference to the continuing incoherence of Moscow’s foreign policy.1 The Russian Nuclear Energy Ministry worked largely on its own, without informing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or other ministries. It discussed with Iran the controversial topic of gas centrifuges, which enrich uranium and would allow Iran access to weapons-grade fissile material. That episode was an example of how Russian ministries often conduct foreign policy independently.
