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Russia, the EU, and the Eastern Partnership: Building Bridges or Digging Trenches? (Soviet And Post-soviet Politics And Society Ser. #186)

by Vasile Rotaru

Even 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.

Russia-China Relations: Emerging Alliance or Eternal Rivals? (Global Power Shift)

by Sarah Kirchberger Svenja Sinjen Nils Wörmer

This open access book examines Russia-China relations across a variety of civilian and military areas of cooperation. Leading experts in the field present empirical case studies covering a wide range of strategic cooperation areas between Russia and China, such as technological, military, economic and political cooperation. The contributing authors shed new light on Chinese and Russian strategic goals, external push and pull factors, and mutual perception shifts, and discuss the options for Western countries to influence this development. This book analyses the evolution of the relationship since the watershed moment of the Crimean crisis in 2014, and whether or not a full-blown military alliance, as hinted in late 2020 by President Putin, is indeed a realistic scenario for which NATO will have to prepare. It will appeal to students and scholars of international relations, political decision-makers, as well as anyone interested in Eurasian politics and the potential military-strategic impact of a Russian-Chinese alliance for NATO.

Russia-Cyprus Relations: A Pragmatic Idealist Perspective

by Costas Melakopides

This study assesses Moscow's special bilateral relations with Cyprus since the mid-1950s, with particular emphasis on the post-Cold War years. Melakopides develops the theory of 'pragmatic idealism' when describing the way in which Moscow's Cyprus policies were meant to satisfy not only mutual interests but also international legal and ethical principles and norms. The book recalls Cyprus's dramatic vicissitudes since the 1950s and revisits the controversial 'political realist' policies of Washington, Ankara and London against the interests and needs of the Greek-Cypriot majority. Melakopides then goes on to analyse the regional geopolitical context; Turkey's hegemonic ambitions and its ongoing aggressiveness against Cyprus; Nicosia's current efforts to pursue a multidimensional foreign policy that also engages Greece, Israel and Egypt; the strong Russian-Cypriot diplomatic and political relations as well as their relations in trade, banking, energy, tourism, culture, energy and defence; and the origins of Russia's historical, religious and 'spiritual' sentiments and bonds towards Hellenism and Cyprus.

Russia-Cyprus Relations: A Pragmatic Idealist Perspective

by Costas Melakopides

This study assesses Moscow's special bilateral relations with Cyprus since the mid-1950s, with particular emphasis on the post-Cold War years. Melakopides develops the theory of 'pragmatic idealism' when describing the way in which Moscow's Cyprus policies were meant to satisfy not only mutual interests but also international legal and ethical principles and norms. The book recalls Cyprus's dramatic vicissitudes since the 1950s and revisits the controversial 'political realist' policies of Washington, Ankara and London against the interests and needs of the Greek-Cypriot majority. Melakopides then goes on to analyse the regional geopolitical context; Turkey's hegemonic ambitions and its ongoing aggressiveness against Cyprus; Nicosia's current efforts to pursue a multidimensional foreign policy that also engages Greece, Israel and Egypt; the strong Russian-Cypriot diplomatic and political relations as well as their relations in trade, banking, energy, tourism, culture, energy and defence; and the origins of Russia's historical, religious and 'spiritual' sentiments and bonds towards Hellenism and Cyprus.

Russia: A History Third Edition

by Gregory L. Freeze

Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "a brisk, exciting tour of Russia's long journey from its Kievan origins," Russia: A History cuts through the myths and mystery that have surrounded this nation from its earliest days, with startling revelations from classified archives that until recently were not even known to exist. A distinguished team of historians has stripped away the propaganda of the past to tell the definitive story of Russia, from tenth-century Kiev and Muscovy through empire and revolution to the fall of Communism and the "new order" of the early 21st century. What emerges is a nation of extremes--of imperial opulence and abject poverty, tyrannical power and subversive resistance, artistic achievement and economic crisis, glittering cities and frozen steppes. A compelling story in its own right, it is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Russia and its place in the world. This new edition has been thoroughly updated to take into account developments under Vladimir Putin.

Russia: A Short History (Short Histories Ser.)

by Abraham Ascher

Distinguished Professor Abraham Ascher offers an impressive blend of engaging narrative and fresh analysis in this perennially popular introduction to Russia. Newly updated on the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, Russia: A Short History begins with the origins of the first Slavic state, and continues to the present-day tensions between Russia and its neighbours, the rise of Vladimir Putin, and the increasingly complex relationship with the United States.

Russia: A State of Uncertainty (Postcommunist States and Nations)

by Neil Robinson

Over the last hundred years, Russia has undergone a succession of failed projects of state construction - from Tzarist modernisation to Soviet state socialism to liberal democratic market capitalism. This new book introduces these vastly different projects and explains their failure in order to illuminate the common problems of balancing social and economic transformation with political stability that Russia's rulers have faced during the twentieth century.Russia: A State of Uncertainty traces Russia's complex historical development in the last century, as well as its recent political troubles and economic misfortunes, and its place in the contemporary international system. Providing up-to-date information on Russian political developments, including the elections of 1999 and 2000, Robinson assesses the chances of future projects of political and economic reconstruction. Written in a clear and accessible way, this book will be an invaluable text for students learning about Russia for the first time, as well as anyone interested in the state and history of Russia.

Russia: Broken Idols, Solemn Dreams (Revised Edition)

by David K. Shipler

During the Cold War, David Shipler spent four years in Moscow as a New York Times correspondent and bureau chief. Out of that experience came Russia, a book that probed beneath the usual surface observations, stereotypes, and official rhetoric to present a subtle, multi-layered depiction of the tenor of the country behind the Soviet façade. In 1989, Shipler returned to write an updated edition, retaining his focus on the durable features of Russian life and spirit, while taking into account the changes wrought by Gorbachev and glasnost at the end of the Cold War. The result is a memorable, incisive, and emininetly human portrait of the Russian people that remains as vital as ever amid increased tensions between Russia and the United States.

Russia: Myths and Realities

by Roderick Braithwaite

An expert historian and former ambassador to Moscow unlocks fact from fiction to reveal what lies at the root of the Russian story.Churchill remarked that Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. That has become an excuse for intellectual laziness. Russia is not all that different from anywhere else. But you have to disentangle the facts from the myths created both by the Russians themselves and by those who dislike them. In this dynamic new history, Rodric Braithwaite—Russia expert and former ambassador to Moscow—does exactly that, unpicking fact from fiction to discover what lies at the root of the Russian story. Russia is the largest country in the world, with the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons. Over a thousand years this multifaceted nation of shifting borders has been known as Rus, Muscovy, the Russian Empire, and the Soviet Union. Thirty years ago it was reinvented as the Russian Federation. Like the rest of us, the Russians constantly rewrite their history. They, too, omit episodes of national disgrace in favor of patriotic anecdotes, sometimes more rooted in myth than reality. Russia is not an enigma, but its past is violent, tragic, sometimes glorious, and always complicated.

Russia: The Story of War

by Gregory Carleton

Outsiders view Russia as an aggressor, but Russians see themselves as surrounded by enemies, defensively fighting off invader after invader, or called upon by history to be the savior of Europe, or Christianity, or civilization itself, often at immense cost. As Gregory Carleton shows, war is the unifying thread of Russia’s national epic.

Russia: The Tsarist and Soviet Legacy (The Present and The Past)

by Edward Acton

This text has established itself as the best general introduction to Russian history, providing a forceful and highly readable survey from earliest times to the post-Soviet State. At the heart of the book is the changing relationship between the State and Russian society at large. The second edition has been substantially rewritten and updated and new material and fresh insights from recently accessible research have been incorporated into every chapter.

RussiaGate and Propaganda: Disinformation in the Age of Social Media

by Oliver Boyd-Barrett

This book furthers our understanding of the practice of propaganda with a specific focus on the RussiaGate case. RussiaGate is a discourse about alleged Russian "meddling" in US elections, and this book argues that it functions as disinformation or distraction. The book provides a framework for better understanding of ongoing developments of RussiaGate, linking these to macroconsiderations that rarely enter mainstream accounts. It demonstrates the considerable weaknesses of many of the charges that have been made against Russia by US investigators, and argues that this discourse fails to take account of broader non-transparent persuasion campaigns operating in the election-information environment that are strengthened by social media manipulation. RussiaGate has obscured many of the factors that challenge the integrity of democratic process in the USA. These deserve a much higher priority than any influence that Russia may want to exert. The book concludes that RussiaGate discourse needs to be contextualized with reference to a long-established broader competition between great powers for domination of EurAsia. This pitches the US/European Union against Russia/China and perhaps, ultimately, even the USA against Europe. This book will be of much interest to students of media and communication studies, propaganda studies, US politics, Russian politics, and International Relations in general.

Russiagate Revisited: The Aftermath of a Hoax

by Oliver Boyd-Barrett Stephen Marmura

This volume provides a comprehensive, scholarly re-examination of the events and developments collectively referred to as Russiagate. In 2016 a consensus emerged within American and British intelligence, political, and news media establishments that Russia was interfering in the United States federal election vis-à-vis an “influence campaign,” in support of the candidacy of Donald Trump. This narrative monopolized western media attention for over five years but has proven poorly founded in fact. Russiagate Revisited examines the authenticity of official Russiagate claims, the role of mainstream and alternative media as both observers of and participants in the drama, what Russiagate reveals about the state of mainstream journalism, the gambits of professional propagandists within a long-established campaign of demonization of Russia, how Russiagate narratives were perceived in Russia, and the grave implications - of both Russiagate and the decline of trust in public information - for sustainable western democracy.

Russian Aviation and Air Power in the Twentieth Century (Studies in Air Power #Vol. 7)

by Von Hardesty Robin Higham John T. Greenwood

In the light of new archival material the editors take a fresh look at Russian aviation in the twentieth century. Presenting a comprehensive view of Russian aviation, from its genesis in the late czarist period to the present era, the approach is essentially chronological with a major emphasis on the evolution of military aviation. The contributions are diverse, with appropriate attention to civilian and institutional themes.

Russian Citizenship: From Empire To Soviet Union

by Eric Lohr

Russian Citizenship is the first book to trace the Russian state’s citizenship policy throughout its history. Focusing on the period from the mid-nineteenth century to the consolidation of Stalin’s power in the 1930s, Eric Lohr considers whom the state counted among its citizens and whom it took pains to exclude. His research reveals that the Russian attitude toward citizenship was less xenophobic and isolationist and more similar to European attitudes than has been previously thought-until the drive toward autarky after 1914 eventually sealed the state off and set it apart. Drawing on untapped sources in the Russian police and foreign affairs archives, Lohr’s research is grounded in case studies of immigration, emigration, naturalization, and loss of citizenship among individuals and groups, including Jews, Muslims, Germans, and other minority populations. Lohr explores how reform of citizenship laws in the 1860s encouraged foreigners to immigrate and conduct business in Russia. For the next half century, citizenship policy was driven by attempts to modernize Russia through intensifying its interaction with the outside world. But growing suspicion toward non-Russian minorities, particularly Jews, led to a reversal of this openness during the First World War and to a Soviet regime that deprived whole categories of inhabitants of their citizenship rights. Lohr sees these Soviet policies as dramatically divergent from longstanding Russian traditions and suggests that in order to understand the citizenship dilemmas Russia faces today-including how to manage an influx of Chinese laborers in Siberia-we must return to pre-Stalin history.

Russian Civil-Military Relations

by Dale R. Herspring

From the author of Rumsfeld’s Wars, “an important addition to the bookshelf of any analyst of post-Soviet security affairs” (Slavic Review).Dale Herspring analyzes three key periods of change in civil-military relations in the Soviet Union and postcommunist Russia: the Bolshevik construction of the communist Red Army in the 1920s; the era of perestroika, when Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to implement a more benign military doctrine and force posture; and the Yeltsin era, when a new civilian and military leadership set out to restructure civil-military relations. The book concludes with a timely discussion of the relationship of the military to the current political struggle in Russia.“The history is both fascinating and timely.” —European Security“When military reform returns to its deservedly prominent place in the Russian political agenda, Herspring’s book will offer invaluable guidance.” —Mark von Hagen, American military historian

Russian Civil-Military Relations (Military Strategy and Operational Art)

by Robert Brannon

Putin's style of leadership has transitioned into another era but there is much still inherited from the past. In the often anarchic environment of the 1990s, the nascent Russian Federation experienced misunderstandings and mis-steps in civil-military relations. Under Boris Yeltsin it has been questioned whether the military obeyed orders from civilian authorities or merely gave lip service to those it served to protect while implementing its own policies and courses of action. Robert Brannon sets forth the circumstances under which the military instrument of Russia's power and influence could be called upon to exert force. Deriving in part from its Soviet past, the author examines how Russia's military doctrine represents more than just a road map of how to fight the nation's wars; it also specifies threats to national interests, in this case the United States, NATO and international terrorism. Against this background of politics and power, the military's influence may reveal as much about politics as it does the military.

Russian Climate Politics: When Science Meets Policy

by Elana Wilson Rowe

Covering the period c. 1200-c. 2000, this book provides an innovative investigation of entrepreneurship in a long-run historical perspective, presenting new insights into the personal characteristics of successful business people and deepening our understanding of the roots of industrialization and economic growth.

Russian Climate Politics: When Science Meets Policy

by Elana Wilson Rowe

Russia remains among the top-5 greenhouse gas emitters in the world and thus an important player in the field of international climate politics. To gain a deeper understanding of how Russian climate politics is formed, the changing and somewhat unexpected role scientists and scientific knowledge play in shaping Russian policymaking is explored.

Russian Coal in the Era of Climate Change: Why it Will Survive and Will Not Become a Bargaining Chip in Relations with the West?

by Nikita Lomagin Maxim Titov Irina Mironova Michael Oshchepkov

The Russian coal sector today faces challenges in the form of global decarbonization, sanctions, and difficulties in retaining market access and competitiveness. This new market environment warrants an examination of what lessons can be drawn from the past tribulations of one of Russia’s most iconic and strategically important industries. This book analyzes the Russian coal industry developments in historical and political contexts, including those of energy transition. The key tenets of contemporary dialogue between Russia and those who advocate for a speedy energy transition to phase out coal are presented. The book addresses the question of the coal industry as a sacrifice for the sake of Russia’s rapprochement with the West. The contribution of this book, therefore, is filling the gap between two large research inquiries – climate change mitigation and energy transition on the one hand, and the existing large coal industry of a given country on the other.

Russian Conservatism (NIU Series in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies)

by Paul Robinson

Paul Robinson's Russian Conservatism examines the history of Russian conservative thought from the beginning of the nineteenth century to the present. As he shows, conservatism has made an underappreciated contribution to Russian national identity, to the ideology of Russian statehood, and to Russia's social-economic development. Robinson charts the contributions made by philosophers, politicians, and others during the Imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet periods. Looking at cultural, political, and social-economic conservatism in Russia, he discusses ideas and issues of more than historical interest. Indeed, what Russian Conservatism demonstrates is that such ideas are helpful in interpreting Russia's present as well as its past and will be influential in shaping Russia's future, for better or for worse, in the years to come.For the past two centuries Russian conservatives have sought to adapt to the pressures of modernization and westernization and, more recently, globalization, while preserving national identity and political and social stability. Through Robinson's research we can now understand how Russian conservatives have continually proposed forms of cultural, political, and economic development seen as building on existing traditions, identity, forms of government, and economic and social life, rather than being imposed on the basis of abstract theory and foreign models.

Russian Constitutionalism: Historical and Contemporary Development (BASEES/Routledge Series on Russian and East European Studies #Vol. 28)

by Andrei Medushevsky

Medushevsky examines constitutionalism in Russia from Tsarist times to the present. He traces the different attitudes to constitutionalism in political thought, and in practice, at different periods, showing how the balance between authoritarianism and liberalism has shifted. In addition, he discusses the importance of constitutional developments for societies in transition, and concludes that post-communist constitutional development in Russia is still far from complete. As an empirical resource, Russian Constitutionalism takes a longer historical view than other books on this topic, and it also goes further than this in its interpretive approach, providing a greater understanding of Russian constitutionalism.

Russian Crossroads: Toward the New Millennium

by Yevgeny Primakov Felix Rosenthal

A prominent Russian politician who served as prime minister, foreign minister, and head of foreign intelligence during the 1990s, Yevgeny Primakov has been part of all vital decisions on Russian domestic and foreign policy for the past two decades. His memoir is both an insider's account of post-perestroika Russian politics and a statement from a representative of the enlightened Russian establishment on their nation's relationship with America and the world. Primakov is a specialist in the Middle East, and his personal involvement in the problems of that region make his commentary particularly valuable as he articulates Russia's view of the conflicts there and its stance toward Iraq, Israel, and Palestine. Primakov also offers pertinent opinions on the Gulf War, NATO enlargement, spying, and other aspects of contemporary international relations, and he gives personal assessments of a wide variety of major players, from Saddam Hussein and Yassir Arafat to Madeleine Albright and Bill Clinton. Providing behind-the-scenes information about government shake-ups in Moscow, the history of speculative privatizations, the formation of the new political and economic oligarchy, and much more, this book will be an invaluable aid to political analysts, historians, and anyone interested in Russia's recent past and future plans.

Russian Culture in Uzbekistan: One Language in the Middle of Nowhere (Central Asian Studies)

by David MacFadyen

Recent political changes in Central Asia, where the United States is replacing Russia as the dominant power, are having a profound effect on Russian speakers in the region. These people, formerly perceived as progressive and engaging with Europe, are now confronted by the erasure of their literary, musical, cinematic and journalistic culture, as local ethnic and American cultures become much stronger. This book examines the predicament of Russian culture in Central Asia, looking at literature, language, cinema, music, and religion. It argues that the Soviet past was much more complex than the simplified, polarised rhetoric of the Cold War period and also that the present situation, in which politicians from the former Soviet regime often continue in power, is equally complex.

Russian Discourses on International Law: Sociological and Philosophical Phenomenon (Routledge Research in International Law)

by P. Sean Morris

A number of recent events in the last decade have renewed interest in Russian discourses on international law. This book evaluates and presents a contemporary analysis of Russian discourses on international law from various perspectives, including sociological, theoretical, political, and philosophical. The aim is to identify how Russia interacts with international law, the reasons behind such interactions, and how such interactions compare with the general practice of international law. It also examines whether legal culture and other phenomena can justify Russia’s interaction in international law. Russian Discourses on International Law explains Russia's interpretation of international law through the lens of both leading western scholars and contemporary western-based Russian scholars. It will be of value to international law scholars looking for a better understanding of Russia’s behavior in international legal relations, law and society, foreign policy, and domestic application of international law. Further, those in fields such as sociology, politics, philosophy, or general graduate students, lawyers, think tanks, government departments, and specialized Russian studies programs will find the book helpful.

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