Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order

Author: Stoner Kathryn E.

Brand: Oxford University Press

Number Of Pages: 344

Details: Product Description

An assessment of Russia that suggests that we should look beyond traditional means of power to understand its strength and capacity to disrupt international politics.

Too often, we are told that Russia plays a weak hand well. But, perhaps the nation’s cards are better than we know. Russia ranks significantly behind the US and China by traditional measures of power: GDP, population size and health, and military might. Yet 25 years removed from its mid-1990s nadir following the collapse of the USSR, Russia has become a supremely disruptive force in world politics. Kathryn E. Stoner assesses the resurrection of Russia and argues that we should look beyond traditional means of power to assess its strength in global affairs. Taking into account how Russian domestic politics under Vladimir Putin influence its foreign policy, Stoner explains how Russia has battled its way back to international prominence.

From Russia’s seizure of the Crimea from Ukraine to its military support for the Assad regime in Syria, the country has reasserted itself as a major global power. Stoner examines these developments and more in tackling the big questions about Russia’s turnaround and global future. Stoner marshals data on Russia’s political, economic, and social development and uncovers key insights from its domestic politics. Russian people are wealthier than the Chinese, debt is low, and fiscal policy is good despite sanctions and the volatile global economy. Vladimir Putin’s autocratic regime faces virtually no organized domestic opposition. Yet, mindful of maintaining control at home, Russia under Putin also uses its varied power capacities to extend its influence abroad. While we often underestimate Russia’s global influence, the consequences are evident in the disruption of politics in the US, Syria, and Venezuela, to name a few. Russia Resurrected is an eye-opening reassessment of the country,
identifying the actual sources of its power in international politics and why it has been able to redefine the post-Cold War global order.

Review

“… offer[s] a nuanced picture of an often messy policymaking process and its numerous unintended consequences.” — Marcin Kaczmarski, University of Glasgow, Asia Policy

“Stoner’s book is a fine primer for students new to Russia and looking for a broad understanding of the many changes that took place between 1990 and 2020.” — Michael Coffey, College of Southern Maryland, Europe-Asia Studies

“Stoner’s greatest contribution is empirically applying a multidimensional concept of power to measure Russia’s state strength.” — Katie L. Stewart, Knox College, The Russian Review

“The key strength of the book lies in its compelling argument that reveals how Russia has rebuilt various means of its power to expand its influence and at the same time how the country’s domestic politics constrain its future ambitions in global politics.” — Nivedita Kapoor, International Affairs

“In this sweeping synthesis and reassessment of Russia, Stoner focuses on Russia’s relative power and foreign policy capability … Stoner’s study provides a valuable corrective to narratives that exaggerate Russian weakness and Putin’s genius, as she instead focuses on domestic regime survival as the core motive for Russia’s distinct exercise of power.” — S. G. Jug, CHOICE

“…such a great overview of the topic of Russia both within international politics, but also to really give a better grasp of the dynamics of Russian politics itself domestically as well, so that we can kind of understand it within the international context. And I was very impressed because I think it gives some very nuanced and insightful comments on Russia itself.” — Justin Kempf, Democracy Paradox

“In Russia Resurrected Kathryn Stoner offers a comprehensive and through overview of Russian foreign policy, a substantial contribution to the importantdebate over Russia’s foreign policy goals.” — Peter Rutland, Slavonic and East European Review

Release Date: 01-02-2021

Package Dimensions: 28x241x662