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Russia's Policy Challenges: Security, Stability and Development
by Stephen K. WegrenDesigned for use in courses on contemporary Russia, this volume explores Russia's policy dilemmas in three realms: international security, socio-political, and socio-economic. In each of these categories, Russia faces daunting problems, none of which is likely to be resolved quickly or easily. Yet, over the longer term, the extent to which policymakers are successful in dealing with these challenges will go far in determining Russia's future place in the world, how Russians will live, and what kind of country Russia becomes. Each expertly authored chapter outlines the nature of one major issue; traces it evolution and policy developments under the Yeltsin and Putin presidencies; and evaluates the effectiveness and prospects of efforts to come to grips with the challenge.
Russia's Posture in Space: Prospects for Europe (Studies in Space Policy #18)
by Marco Aliberti Ksenia LisitsynaThe book sheds new lights on the evolution of Russian space activities with a focus on their strategy of international cooperation. This analysis is carried out in relation to the evolution of the domestic and international dynamics that have been impacting the country’s direction in space, with the ultimate goal of providing an assessment on their impact for current and foreseeable Europe-Russia space relations. Russia has traditionally been one of the two main strategic partners for Europe in its space endeavor. Hitherto, long-standing cooperation has been nurtured between the two actors in various areas, from scientific research to space transportation and human spaceflight. In recent years, however, a number of endogenous and exogenous developments has triggered significant changes in Russia’s space posture. These changes are evident in the adjustment of Russia’s space policies and programmatic goals, in the restructuring of the domestic space industry as well as in the attitude towards international space partnerships.
Russia's Public Diplomacy: Evolution and Practice (Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations)
by Greg Simons Anna A. VelikayaRussian public diplomacy attracts growing attention in the current global climate of tension and competition. However, it is often not understood or is misunderstood. Although some articles and book chapters exist, there are almost no books on Russian public diplomacy neither in Russian, nor in English. This edited collection is an in-depth and broad analysis of Russian public diplomacy in its conceptual understanding and its pragmatic aims and practice. Various aspects of Russian public diplomacy – from cultural to business practices – will interest professors, students and practitioners from various countries. Written by a diverse collection of the most prominent and capable scholars, from academia to international organizations, with a wealth of knowledge and objective experience, this book covers the vital topics and thoroughly analyzes the best practices and mistakes within the broad understanding of public diplomacy conducted by the Russian Federation.
Russia's Regions and Comparative Subnational Politics (Routledge Research in Comparative Politics)
by William M. ReisingerSubnational political units are growing in influence in national and international affairs, drawing increasing scholarly attention to politics beyond national capitals. In this book, leading Russian and Western political scientists contribute to debates in comparative politics by examining Russia’s subnational politics. Beginning with a chapter that reviews major debates in theory and method, this book continues to examine Russia’s 83 regions, exploring a wide range of topics including the nature and stability of authoritarian regimes, federal politics, political parties, ethnic conflict, governance and inequality in a comparative perspective. Providing both qualitative and quantitative data from 20 years of original research, the book draws on elite interaction, public opinion and the role of institutions regionally in the post-Soviet years. The regions vary on a number of theoretically interesting dimensions while their federal membership provides control for other dimensions that are challenging for globally comparative studies. The authors demonstrate the utility of subnational analyses and show how regional research can help answer a variety of political questions, providing evidence from Russia that can be used by specialists on other large countries or world regions in cross-national scholarship. Situated within broader theoretical and methodological political science debates, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Russian politics, comparative politics, regionalism and subnational politics.
Russia's Securitization of Chechnya: How War Became Acceptable (Routledge Critical Terrorism Studies)
by Julie WilhelmsenThis book provides an in-depth analysis of how mobilization and legitimation for war are made possible, with a focus on Russia's conflict with Chechnya. Through which processes do leaders and their publics come to define and accept certain conflicts as difficult to engage in, and others as logical, even necessary? Drawing on a detailed study of changes in Russia’s approach to Chechnya, this book argues that ‘re-phrasing’ Chechnya as a terrorist threat in 1999 was essential to making the use of violence acceptable to the Russian public. The book refutes popular explanations that see Russian war-making as determined and grounded in a sole, authoritarian leader. Close study of the statements and texts of Duma representatives, experts and journalists before and during the war demonstrates how the Second Chechen War was made a ‘legitimate’ undertaking through the efforts of many. A post-structuralist reinterpretation of securitization theory guides and structures the book, with discourse theory and method employed as a means to uncover the social processes that make war acceptable. More generally, the book provides a framework for understanding the broad social processes that underpin legitimized war-making. This book will be of much interest to students of Russian politics, critical terrorism studies, security studies and international relations.
Russia's Security Policy under Putin: A critical perspective (CSS Studies in Security and International Relations)
by Aglaya SnetkovThis book examines the evolution of Russia’s security policy under Putin in the 21st century, using a critical security studies approach. Drawing on critical approaches to security the book investigates the interrelationship between the internal-external nexus and the politics of (in)security and regime-building in Putin’s Russia. In so doing, it evaluates the way that this evolving relationship between state identities and security discourses framed the construction of individual security policies, and how, in turn, individual issues can impact on the meta-discourses of state and security agendas. To this end, the (de)securitisation discourses and practices towards the issue of Chechnya are examined as a case study. In so doing, this study has wider implications for how we read Russia as a security actor through an approach that emphasises the importance of taking into account its security culture, the interconnection between internal/external security priorities and the dramatic changes that have taken place in Russia’s conceptions of itself, national and security priorities and conceptualisation of key security issues, in this case Chechnya. These aspects of Russia’s security agenda remain somewhat of a neglected area of research, but, as argued in this book, offer structuring and framing implications for how we understand Russia’s position towards security issues, and perhaps those of rising powers more broadly. This book will be of much interest to students of Russian security, critical security studies and IR.
Russia's Unfinished Revolution: Political Change from Gorbachev to Putin
by Michael McfaulFor centuries, dictators ruled Russia. Tsars and Communist Party chiefs were in charge for so long some analysts claimed Russians had a cultural predisposition for authoritarian leaders. Yet, as a result of reforms initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev, new political institutions have emerged that now require election of political leaders and rule by constitutional procedures. Michael McFaul--described by the New York Times as "one of the leading Russia experts in the United States"--traces Russia's tumultuous political history from Gorbachev's rise to power in 1985 through the 1999 resignation of Boris Yeltsin in favor of Vladimir Putin. McFaul divides his account of the post-Soviet country into three periods: the Gorbachev era (1985-1991), the First Russian Republic (1991-1993), and the Second Russian Republic (1993-present). The first two were, he believes, failures--failed institutional emergence or failed transitions to democracy. By contrast, new democratic institutions did emerge in the third era, though not the institutions of a liberal democracy. McFaul contends that any explanation for Russia's successes in shifting to democracy must also account for its failures. The Russian/Soviet case, he says, reveals the importance of forging social pacts; the efforts of Russian elites to form alliances failed, leading to two violent confrontations and a protracted transition from communism to democracy. McFaul spent a great deal of time in Moscow in the 1990s and witnessed firsthand many of the events he describes. This experience, combined with frequent visits since and unparalleled access to senior Russian policymakers and politicians, has resulted in an astonishingly well-informed account. Russia's Unfinished Revolution is a comprehensive history of Russia during this crucial period.
Russia's War
by Jade McGlynnIn the early hours of 24 February 2022, Russian forces attacked Ukraine. The brutality of the Russian assault has horrified the world. But Russians themselves appear to be watching an entirely different war – one in which they are the courageous underdogs and kind-hearted heroes successfully battling a malign Ukrainian foe. Russia analyst Jade McGlynn takes us on a journey into this parallel military and political universe to reveal the sometimes monstrous, sometimes misconstrued attitudes behind Russian majority backing for the invasion. Drawing on media analysis and interviews with ordinary citizens, officials and foreign-policy elites in Russia and Ukraine, McGlynn explores the grievances, lies and half-truths that pervade the Russian worldview. She also exposes the complicity of many Russians, who have invested too deeply in the Kremlin’s alternative narratives to regard the war as Putin’s foolhardy mission. In their eyes, this is Russia’s war – against Ukraine, against the West, against evil – and there can be no turning back.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
by Gwendolyn SasseOn 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, giving rise to the deadliest conflict on European soil since the Second World War. How could this happen in twenty-first-century Europe? Why did Putin decide to escalate Russia’s war against Ukraine, a war which began with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014? In this timely book, Gwendolyn Sasse analyses the background to this war and examines the factors that led to Putin’s fateful decision. She retraces the history of Ukraine’s struggle for independence from Russia and shows how democratic developments in Ukraine had become a risk for Russia’s political system. She also shows that ambiguous Western policy towards Russia encouraged elites in the Kremlin to think that they had more room for action than they did. The result is a brilliant analysis of the background to the war, a concise account of the course of the war itself and a timely reflection on what its consequences will be – for Ukraine, for Russia and for the West. An indispensable book for anyone who wants to understand the most dangerous conflict of our time.
Russia's World Order: How Civilizationism Explains the Conflict with the West (NIU Series in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies)
by Paul RobinsonRussia's World Order explores the ideas underlying the undeclared New Cold War between Russia and the West. The first Cold War was a struggle between capitalism and communism; most Western politicians and policymakers imagine the new one to be a struggle between democracy and autocracy. Russia's World Order explains that in Russian eyes, the conflict is about something very different: it is a fight between two incompatible visions of where history is leading.Russia's World Order describes the civilizational theory that has come to dominate Russian official discourse, and that has come to dominate Russian official discourse and that is being used by the Russian state to justify its clashes with the West. Whereas the West promotes a vision of history that drives all nations toward convergence on a single social, political, and economic model (that of modern Western liberalism), Russia's political leaders increasingly portray the world as consisting of numerous distinct civilizations, each diverging toward its own unique destination. The Russian state portrays itself as defending the right of all civilizations to chart their own independent path of development and is having some success in using this logic to win allies around the world. Paul Robinson recounts how ideas of inevitable convergence once dominated Russian thought as well but were gradually pushed out by civilizational theories. He outlines where these theories came from, what they propose, and how they became popular. Russia's World Order thereby reveals the true nature of today's New Cold War and the challenge that Russian civilizationism poses to the West.
Russia's Youth and its Culture: A Nation's Constructors and Constructed
by Hilary PilkingtonSince the political whirlwinds of the mid-1980s and the fall of communism in 1991, Russia has undergone dramatic social change, much of which has escaped the attention of Western media.In her new book, Hilary Pilkington applies the methods of cultural studies research to the study of Russian youth. She does this by `deconstructing' the social discourses within which Russian youth has been constructed and by providing an alternative reading of youth cultural activity, based on an ethnographic study of Moscow youth culture at the end of the 1980s.The book also charts the passage of western youth cultural studies in the twentieth century and suggests some new ways forward in the light of the Russian experience. Hilary Pilkington traces the cultural themes of youth culture in the Anglo-American tradition and within the Soviet Union, before examining the impact of perestroika on the media and its ramifications for the discussion of youth. The book ends with a study of young people in Moscow and youth cultural groups; the product of field work and interviews in the city.
Russia, America and the Cold War, 1949-1991
by Martin MccauleyFollowing on from McCauley's bestselling Origins of the Cold War, this book looks at the years from 1949 to 1991. The Cold War is increasingly offered as a second/third year option as history courses become more focused on the twentieth century Also useful for students of politics and international relations This is a completely to date survey of the subject Includes chronology, list of treaties and summits between the superpowers and who's who.
Russia, America and the Cold War: 1949-1991 (Revised 2nd Edition)
by Martin McCauleyThe conflict between Russia and America shaped the world for over four decades. Both were universalist powers - they wanted every country in the world to copy their model of government and economy. They could not rest until the other side had been vanquished, and until the mid-1980s this included the prospect of nuclear war. In a new edition of one of the best-selling books in the Seminar Studies in History Series, Martin McCauley looks at the epic struggle between the two superpowers that put everyone in danger. In a clear and accessible manner, the book:Gives a succinct summary of the main turning points in the conflict Looks at how the whole world was sucked into the Cold War Shows how the arms race eventually bankrupted Russia Discusses whether or not America and Russia have learnt anything from this confrontationAlso containing a Chronology, Glossary and Who's Who of key figures, this revised second edition of Russia, America and the Cold War is essential reading for all students of twentieth century history.Martin McCauley is a seasoned writer and broadcaster who has a wealth of experience in Russian and international affairs. His recent publications include The Origins of the Cold War revised 3rd edition (2008), Stalin and Stalinism revised 3rd edition (2008) and The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union (2007)
Russia, America and the Islamic World
by Mike BowkerDuring the Soviet period, Islam was largely ignored in Moscow and viewed as a bourgeois phenomenon which would fade over time. Nowadays, from the ongoing conflict in Chechnya to recent upheavals in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Islamic militancy has become a major security threat to Russia. Mike Bowker examines the newly emerging relationship between Russia and the United States and their struggle against the common threat of international terrorism. He looks at the difficulties of such a relationship by analyzing the lingering mutual suspicion, differing views on the nature of the global terrorist threat and how each side has continued to pursue their own national interests. Students and scholars of international relations and Russian foreign policy will find this book particularly useful.
Russia, America, the Bomb and the Fall of Western Europe (Routledge Revivals)
by Brian MayFirst published in 1984, Russia, America, the Bomb and the Fall of Western Europe offers a dual approach to unilateral nuclear disarmament. While it systematically analyzes and rejects stock arguments for retaining nuclear weapons, from the supposed threat of Soviet invasion to fears of Finlandization and the loss of mineral resources, it examines the issue within the context of Western Europe’s historic fall. This is described with the help from Arnold Toynbee, Plato and Marx. Brian May argues that, if West European civilization is to survive, it must find the moral strength to stand on its own feet, make its own accommodation with the USSR, and abandon dependence on its offshoot on the other side of the Atlantic, whose policies could lead to its destruction. This book will be of interest to students of geopolitics, international relations, security studies and history.
Russia, China and the Revisionist Assault on the Western Liberal International Order (Palgrave Studies in International Relations)
by Gerlinde GroitlThis book analyzes Russian and Chinese revisionism in the face of US and Western post-Cold War liberal international order building and asks why both powers have turned revisionist in the late 2000s. The study develops a neoclassical realist model of international order building and contestation and posits to view revisionism as a strategic choice. States go revisionist if the status quo international order threatens their vital security needs (broadly defined not only as territorial security, but also political, economic, normative and ontological) and if they have the means to challenge the undesirable status quo. Russia and China were both unhappy with the post-Cold War international order of American designs, but had to opt for accommodation in the 1990s and early 2000s (“strategic accommodation” in the Chinese case, “resentful accommodation” in the Russian case), before revisionism became even more of a necessity and a real policy option from the late 2000s onward (“constructive revisionism” in the Chinese case, “destructive revisionism” in the Russian case). The author calls for a policy of neo-containment to counter Moscow’s and Beijing’s efforts to game and erode the international order.
Russia, China and the West in the Post-Cold War Era: The Limits of Liberal Universalism (New Security Challenges)
by Suzanne LoftusThis book analyzes international affairs in the post-Cold War era by taking a special look at identity, norms and interests and the limits of liberal normative universalism. The book assesses the causes of the deterioration of Russian – Western relations, the management of the liberal international order, the challenges liberal democracies face today, the rise of China and its consequences on global governance, and the war in Ukraine as an outcome of the dynamics described throughout the book. China and Russia represent different normative frameworks, have their own national interests, have increased their relative strength and influence and represent alternative economic and diplomatic partners for the Global South. Meanwhile, rising populist sentiment in western liberal democracies reflects important dissatisfaction with establishment policies. This research is particularly important for crafting creative solutions to the dynamic changes of the 21st century and the rise of nonwestern powers with different identities, interests and norms.
Russia, Disinformation, and the Liberal Order: RT as Populist Pariah (NIU Series in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies)
by Stephen Hutchings Marie Gillespie Vera Tolz Rhys Crilley Precious Chatterje-DoodyThrough the prism of the first comprehensive account of RT, the Kremlin's primary tool of foreign propaganda, Russia, Disinformation and the Liberal Order sheds new light on the provenance and nature of disinformation's threat to democracy. Interrogating the communications strategies pursued by authoritarian states and grassroots populist movements, the book reveals the interlinked nature of today's global media-politics pathologies.Stephen Hutchings, Vera Tolz, Precious Chatterje-Doody, Rhys Crilley, and Marie Gillespie provide a systematic investigation into RT's history, institutional culture, and journalistic ethos; its activities across multiple languages and media platforms; its audience-targeting strategies and audiences' engagements with it; and its response to the war in Ukraine and associated bans on the network. The authors' analysis challenges commonplace notions of disinformation as something that Russia brings to the West, where passive publics are duped by the Kremlin's communications machine, and reveals the reciprocal processes through which Russia and disinformation infiltrate and challenge the liberal order. Russia, Disinformation and the Liberal Order provides provocative insights into the nature and extent of the challenge that Russia's propaganda operation poses to the West. The authors contend that the challenge will be met only if liberals reflect on liberalism's own internal tensions and blind spots and defend the values of open-minded impartiality.
Russia, Eurasia and the New Geopolitics of Energy: Confrontation and Consolidation
by Matthew Sussex Roger E. KanetRussia, Eurasia and the New Geopolitics of Energy.
Russia, Eurasia and the New Geopolitics of Energy: Confrontation and Consolidation
by Matthew Sussex Roger E. KanetBy combining perspectives from experts in domestic politics, regional politics, and specialists in international security, this edited volume focuses on the central role of energy production and supply in the Russian-Western completion across Eurasia.
Russia, NATO and Cooperative Security: Bridging the Gap (Contemporary Security Studies)
by Lionel PonsardThis book explores mutual common ground between Russia and NATO and the potential to move beyond cultural differences, particularly in political culture. Lionel Ponsard clearly demonstrates how cooperative security could serve as a means to bridge the gap between two supposedly antagonistic entities: NATO and Russia. He skilfully shows that by building confidence between the two parties about each other’s intentions, cooperative security can regulate attitudes that might otherwise lead to misperception. Focusing on the peculiarity of NATO-Russia relations, this unique book adopts the Russian approach to these relations, drawing on Ponsard’s deep expertise. Three clear parts of this volume articulate this original work: the definition of the Russian identity, Russia’s attitude to NATO and the question of cooperation in Russia-NATO relations. The analysis of the Russian identity sheds some light on what happened to this relationship in the past several years and offers key lessons for today’s considerations of the nation. Difficulties that have arisen since the end of the Soviet Union until the creation of the NATO-Russia Council in 2002 are also stressed and interpreted, adding to an excellent analysis of one of the key areas in contemporary security. This book will be of great interest to all students of NATO, security studies, Russian studies and international relations in general.
Russia, Ukraine and Contemporary Imperialism
by Alan Freeman Radhika Desai Boris KagarlitskyThis book is a unique contribution to scholarship on the sources of the conflict in Ukraine. The volume brings together writers from Russia, Ukraine, Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia, many of whom attended a gathering of scholars and activists from all over Ukraine, held in Yalta, Crimea, just after the conflict in Eastern Ukraine erupted. Challenging both the demonization of Russia, which has become standard for Western writing on the topic, and the simplistic discourse of official Russian sources, this book scrutinises the events of the conflict and the motives of the agents, bringing to the fore the underlying causes of the most critical flashpoints of the post-Soviet world order. This volume offers a refreshing, profound perspective on the Ukraine conflict, and will be an indispensable source for any student or researcher.This book was originally published as a special issue of the journal International Critical Thought.
Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia (Eurasia In The 21st Century Ser. #Vol. 2)
by Rajan Menon Yuri E. Fedorov Ghia Nodia East West InsituteThis comprehensive exploration of the international environment examines not only traditional political-military concerns but also economic, ethnic, and environmental issues and the role of crime, terrorism, the drug trade, and migration in the security environment of Russia and its neighbours to the south. This approach takes account of both the internal and external aspects of security problems and their interplay. The participation of international authors facilitates the consideration of each problem from all relevant points of view.
Russia, the Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights: A Troubled Membership and Its Legacy
by Andrew Forde Ed Bates Kanstantsin DzehtsiarouIn March 2022, following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe after 26 years as a member. This timely and in-depth analysis explores Russia's tumultuous relationship with the Council of Europe and European Court of Human Rights. It examines Russia’s membership record and the profound impacts of its expulsion for Europe’s human rights system. The authors provide valuable insights for future policy to safeguard the integrity of international human rights institutions. The book fills an important gap in legal scholarship by exploring the legality and legitimacy of Russia’s membership and expulsion, and represents a key reference in understanding the challenge of protecting human rights in the face of rising authoritarianism.
Russia, the EU, and the Eastern Partnership: Building Bridges or Digging Trenches? (Soviet And Post-soviet Politics And Society Ser. #186)
by Vasile RotaruEven before the Ukrainian crisis, neither Russia nor the EU was content with their relationship. Despite economic interdependence, strategic partnership, official declarations of belonging culturally and historically to the same "European family" and in spite of Russia’s stated interest in establishing an economic community stretching from Lisbon to Vladivostok, the two actors found it difficult to agree on important issues. The conflicted atmosphere between the EU and Russia has three main dimensions: normative issues, energy relations, and the shared neighborhood, with the latter being particularly salient after the launch of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) in 2009. The former Soviet space is at the core of Russian foreign policy. Moscow’s special interest in this area results from economic factors, diaspora issues, and, most importantly, from its perceived security need. Obsessed by a fear of being encircled by enemies, Russia sees its hegemony over the former Soviet republics as paramount to the protection of its own borders. Therefore, the rapprochement of any other actor towards this region is regarded with high suspicion.Against this background, Vasile Rotaru analyzes EU-Russia relations with a particular emphasis on the impact of the EaP on Moscow’s relations with Brussels. He argues that the EaP represented a turning point in EU-Russia relations, determining Moscow to revise its attitude towards the Union. Rotaru explains that, even if the EaP was Brussels’ initiative, the Partnership met the aspirations of the six former Soviet republics. Moreover, despite its opposition towards the EU’s initiative, Russia itself acted involuntarily as a propeller of the EaP. By aiming to keep the former Soviet republics close, Moscow often conducts an assertive, aggressive policy in the "near abroad." This strategy, however, had mostly opposite effects, causing Russia’s neighbors to look elsewhere for support of their sovereignty. From this perspective, the rapprochement of Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, and the three Caucasus republics with the EU has not been determined only by Brussels’ prosperity and soft-power attractiveness but also by existential fears in the former Soviet republics.The book appeals to a wide range of students, researchers, and professors specializing in Russia, the EU, and the former Soviet space in the fields of international Relations, foreign policy analysis, and security studies as well as to think-tank analysts and policy makers.