Publication date:
22 September 2011Length of book:
352 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersISBN-13: 9781442208254
Now thoroughly updated, this widely praised book provides a thoughtful and balanced examination of the development of Russian foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. This edition also places developments of the past two decades into the broader sweep of Russian history. Jeffrey Mankoff argues that Russia's more assertive behavior since Vladimir Putin became president in 2000 has resulted from both a deep-seated consensus among its elite about Russia's identity and interests as well as a favorable convergence of events—including the persistence of high energy prices and the check on U.S. power resulting from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Because these factors are the result of long-term trends, the author argues that there is little reason to expect that the election of Dmitry Medvedev will fundamentally alter Russian foreign policy behavior.
Presenting an evenhanded treatment of controversial issues, Mankoff analyzes Russia's interactions with major global actors, including the United States, the European Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and China. Despite Moscow's often-harsh rhetoric and the deployment of Russian forces against Georgia in 2008, the author convincingly demonstrates that there is little reason to fear a return to a Cold War-like standoff with the West. Instead, he argues, today's Russia is more interested in restoring what its leaders consider to be its rightful place among the world's major powers rather than in directly challenging the West. Thoroughly researched and knowledgeable, this book will be invaluable for all readers interested in Russia.
Presenting an evenhanded treatment of controversial issues, Mankoff analyzes Russia's interactions with major global actors, including the United States, the European Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and China. Despite Moscow's often-harsh rhetoric and the deployment of Russian forces against Georgia in 2008, the author convincingly demonstrates that there is little reason to fear a return to a Cold War-like standoff with the West. Instead, he argues, today's Russia is more interested in restoring what its leaders consider to be its rightful place among the world's major powers rather than in directly challenging the West. Thoroughly researched and knowledgeable, this book will be invaluable for all readers interested in Russia.
Russian foreign policy has never been explicitly anti-American and Russian leaders have always sought good relations with the United States to the extent that it was compatible with their main goal: Russia is a great power. With this second edition, revised and enlarged, the author hopes to show how this hypothesis remains relevant and shapes the behavior of Russia on the international scene. According J.Mankoff, the statement of Russian foreign policy is the culmination of a process begun under President Yeltsin when the majority of the Russian political elite considered that the integration of Russia in the West was neither possible nor desirable. Despite the presence of some stereotypes widespread in the place of Russia, the richness of the analyzes presented in the book helps in any case to understand the ambitions and aspirations of post-Soviet Russia on the international scene.