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Confronting Microfinance: Undermining Sustainable DevelopmentMilford Bateman, editor Despite the popularity of microfinance as a tool for economic development, there has been little analysis of its foundations or its real effectiveness in fighting poverty. Attempting to fill that gap, the authors of Confronting Microfinance first provide global perspectives that challenge the conventional wisdom and then focus on southeastern Europe—a key arena for microfinance and More > |
Understanding Contemporary Russia, 2nd editionMichael L. Bressler, editor Russia today is in many ways different from the country portrayed a decade ago in the first edition of Understanding Contemporary Russia. With an upsurge of both national pride—despite a struggling economy—and civil society activism, with a palpable tension between the support for democratic values and the intense desire for political stability, with an increased role in world politics More > |
Transacting Transition: The Micropolitics of Democracy Assistance in the Former YugoslaviaKeith Brown, editor Focusing on cases of international intervention in Kosovo, Serbia, and Macedonia, the authors of Transacting Transition explore how the mission and vision of "democracy promotion" is enacted on the ground—where principles of transparency, gender equality, and interethnic cooperation run up against the realities of political agendas, self-interest, and memories of conflict. More > |
War Games: US-Russian Relations and Nuclear Arms ControlStephen J. Cimbala Does it make sense for the United States to cooperate with Russia to resolve international security issues? Is it possible for the two countries to work together to reduce the dangers associated with nuclear weapons? Where does Vladimir Putin fit into the calculus? Engaging the debate on these contentious issues, Stephen Cimbala provides context for and policy-relevant analysis of current More > |
Toward Peace in Bosnia: Implementing the Dayton AccordsElizabeth M. Cousens and Charles K. Cater When the Dayton peace agreement was signed in 1995, there were expectations among the signatories, the Bosnian population, and the international community alike that the pact would not only end conflict among Bosnia's three armies, but also establish a political and social foundation for more robust peace. Recognizing that the latter goal—incorporating political reform and More > |
Foreign Policies of the CIS States: A Comprehensive ReferenceDenis Degterev and Konstantin Kurylev, editors How do the former Soviet republics that now constitute the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) interact with each other and with other regional and world powers? What are the conceptual foundations, mechanisms, and main directions of each member state's foreign policy? What role do economic and political factors play? Answering these questions and more in this systematic, comprehensive More > |
Security and Sovereignty in the Former Soviet UnionRuth Deyermond Among the contentious issues that come into play in relations between Russia and the other post-Soviet states, security concerns are arguably at the top of the list. Ruth Deyermond explores the linkage between post-Soviet security politics and the development of state sovereignty in the region, focusing on Russia's interactions with Ukraine, Georgia, and Belarus. Deyermond ranges from More > |
China Moves West: The Evolving Strategies of the Belt and Road InitiativeAnoushiravan Ehteshami, Benjamin Houghton, and Jia Liu, editors In September 2013, Xi Jinping announced the launch of a Chinese-led megaproject, the Belt and Road Initiative, that would transform Asia's position within the global economy. Some ten years on, the BRI, while facing significant obstacles, has gone from strength to strength. How has China’s BRI diplomacy affected its image across Asia? What does the BRI mean for Sino-US competition? More > |
Hybrid Conflicts and Information Warfare: New Labels, Old PoliticsOfer Fridman, Vitaly Kabernik, James C. Pearce, editors What is hybrid warfare? And what role does information play in today's conflicts? In the context of the technological/information revolution of the last two decades—which has greatly amplified the danger posed by nonmilitary means of political struggle—Hybrid Conflicts and Information Warfare addresses these questions from the perspectives of both Western and Russian More > |
Political Parties in the Regions of Russia: Democracy UnclaimedGrigorii V. Golosov Political parties typically are assumed to be essential for contemporary democratic government and governance. Why, then, has the regime change in Russia failed to produce viable political parties? Grigorii Golosov addresses this question, exploring issues central to an understanding of Russian political development. Golosov combines statistical and qualitative analysis, including case studies, More > |
Military Reform and Militarism in RussiaAleksandr Golts, translated by Maia Kipp Aleksandr Golts traces the evolution of the Russian military, from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the incursions in eastern Ukraine in 2014–2017. Golts also sheds light on the reemergence of militarism in the Putin era, exploring its origins and making sense of the acceptance of the phenomenon by so much of Russian society. More > |
The Politics of Privatization: Wealth and Power in Postcommunist EuropeJohn A. Gould In this remarkable story of postcommunist politics gone wrong, John Gould explores privatization’s role in the scramble for wealth and power in postcommunist Europe. Gould engages the core debates on privatization. Does democratic development facilitate effective capitalist reform, or vice versa? How do political legacies shape privatization choices? Is simultaneous transition feasible? More > |
Little Mother of Russia: A Biography of Empress Marie FedorovnaCoryne Hall Coryn Hall presents us with a new and accessible biography of Empress Maire Fedorovna, who was married to Tsar Alexander III of Russia, and mother to Nicholas II . This insightful work—the first in over 40 years and the first in English—traces the empress's tragic life from little known daughter of the King of Denmark, to integral part of the Russian imperial family, through More > |
Putin’s Energy Agenda: The Contradictions of Russia’s Resource WealthStefan Hedlund The sudden arrival of massive energy wealth during Putin's long reign has turned Russia's focus to resources, with some good and some very bad results. Considering why the good—a windfall of money to pay debts and put the country's finances in order—has been so overshadowed by the bad—resource dependence, reliance on rents, and unbridled corruption—Stefan More > |
Black Sea Battleground: The Road to UkraineGlen E. Howard, editor Black Sea Battleground identifies and analyzes the key elements of a comprehensive US strategy for dealing with the cauldron of geopolitical and military competition in the Black Sea region. More > |
The Growing Importance of Belarus on NATO’s Eastern FlankGlen E. Howard and Matthew Czekaj, editors The widely misunderstood country of Belarus, squeezed both literally and geopolitically between Russia and the West, was typically overlooked by post–Cold War military planners—until Russia's first invasion of Ukraine in 2014. Now, with Russia's latest offensive in Ukraine, Belarus's geostrategic importance to NATO and the surrounding region is more in the spotlight than More > |
Russia’s Military Strategy and DoctrineGlen E. Howard and Matthew Czekaj, editors How does Russia fight wars? How are its experiences with modern conflicts shaping the evolution of its military strategy, capabilities, and doctrine? Addressing these questions, the contributors to Russia's Military Strategy and Doctrine consider strategic-level issues ranging from hybrid warfare, to the role of nuclear weapons, to cyber and electromagnetic warfare, to Moscow's posture in More > |
Failed State: A Guide to Russia’s RuptureJanusz Bugajski Attempts to transform the Russian Federation into a nation state, a civic state, or a stable imperial state have failed, argues Janusz Bugajski. Paradoxically, though Vladimir Putin assumed power to prevent Russia's disintegration, he may be remembered best for precipitating the country's demise. Bugajski considers the factors contributing to a possible Russian state collapse, among More > |
Striking Back: Overt and Covert Options to Combat Russian DisinformationThomas Kent Energizing the debate on how best to expose and deal with Russian propaganda and disinformation, Thomas Kent goes beyond suggesting simple defensive measures. Kent not only calls for more government and private aid to expose Russian operations, but also describes how new, aggressive messaging campaigns against Russian disinformation could be run, the ethical questions involved, and the pros and More > |
How Russia Loses: Hubris and Miscalculation in Putin’s KremlinThomas Kent Vladimir Putin's efforts to build influence abroad have succeeded in many places, but the Kremlin has also faced serious hurdles and even defeats. Thomas Kent delves into six cases where hubris and miscalculation led to reversals—some temporary, some permanent—of Russia's fortunes and suggests how understanding the common threads in Russia's self-defeating behavior can be More > |
Khrushchev in Power: Unfinished Reforms, 1961-1964Sergei Khrushchev, translated by George Shriver A full reckoning of Nikita Khrushchev's accomplishments and failures cannot be complete without looking beyond his foreign policy initiatives to assess his efforts to introduce domestic policy reforms in the Soviet Union. Sergei Khrushchev tells the full story of those efforts during the years immediately before his father's ouster—and of the intrigues and struggles for power that More > |
Political Corruption in Eastern Europe: Politics After CommunismTatiana Kostadinova Why has political corruption emerged as a major obstacle to successful democratic consolidation in Eastern Europe? Exploring the origins, scope, and impact of political corruption in the region's post communist states, Tatiana Kostadinova identifies the factors that favor illicit behavior and considers how the various forms of malfeasance are threatening democracy. Rich cross-national data More > |
Russia’s Far East: New Dynamics in Asia Pacific and BeyondRensselaer Lee and Artyom Lukin The strategically pivotal Russian Far East—a vast expanse stretching from Lake Baikal to the Pacific Ocean—is notable not only for its rich natural resources, but also for the economic challenges, internal dissent, and risks of foreign encroachment that it faces. Rensselaer Lee and Artyom Lukin explore the history, economics, and politics of the RFE in the context of its geopolitical More > |
Russia’s Path to the High-Tech BattlespaceRoger N. McDermott Roger McDermott traces the origins and trajectory of Moscow's modernization of its armed forces to exploit technology and adopt new approaches to warfare. Drawing extensively on primary sources, McDermott explores the role of Russian military thought in the modernization process, changes in military decisionmaking, developments stemming from Russian military operations in Syria, and other More > |
Baltic Security Strategy Report: What the Baltics Can Offer for a Stronger AllianceOlevs Nikers and Otto Tabuns, editors This in-depth security review of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania assesses current challenges pertaining to defense and deterrence, societal security and resilience, economic security, and cybersecurity. The authors also explore potential avenues for subregional cooperation, offering detailed recommendations on how best to proceed with a more coherent, goal-oriented, and efficient cooperation More > |
Baltic Sea Security: Regional and Sectoral PerspectivesOlevs Nikers and Otto Tabuns, editors Baltic Sea Security offers a multifaceted discussion of the complex security issues affecting the Baltic region—with important implications for the cohesion of the wider transatlantic alliance. Regional and international experts provide in-depth analysis of the current levels of defense and security cooperation among the Western countries in the Baltic basin, focusing on military More > |
Kosovo: An Unfinished PeaceWilliam G. O'Neill Despite the deployment of NATO forces in Kosovo and the UN's direct involvement in governing the province, such terrors as murder, disappearances, bombings, and arson have become routine occurrences. William O'Neill analyzes the nature of the violence that continues to plague Kosovo's residents and assesses efforts to guarantee public security. O'Neill considers how the particular More > |
Promoting Democracy in Postcommunist Ukraine: The Contradictory Outcomes of US Aid to Women’s NGOsKateryna Pishchikova Considerable material and human resources are devoted to building democratic institutions around the world. Why, then, do assistance programs fail to meet their proclaimed goals? And why aren't these programs changed or abandoned when they fail? Using US assistance to women's NGOs in postcommunist Ukraine as a case study, Kateryna Pishchikova shows why democracy promotion programs have a More > |
Ties That Bind, Ties That Divide: 100 Years of Hungarian Experience in the United StatesJulianna Puskás, editor, translated by Zora Ludwig In Ties That Bind, Ties That Divide, Juliana Puskás, a prominent scholar on immigration, examines the Hungarian-American experience. Often overshadowed by the stories of other immigrant communities, the Hungarian community is finally brought to the forefront in Puskás's thorough discussion. Beginning with a look at the semifeudal state of mid-nineteenth century Hungarian society, More > |
Conflict in Macedonia: Exploring a Paradox in the Former YugoslaviaSasho Ripiloski How did Macedonia attain its status as the only Yugoslav republic to achieve a nonviolent transition to independence in the early 1990s? And why did the initial peace fail to endure? Sasho Ripiloski traces Macedonia's peaceful extrication from the Yugoslav morass and then examines the new country's subsequent state-building efforts and offers an explanation for its later collapse into More > |
Governing the Czech Republic and Slovakia: Between State Socialism and the European UnionJohn A. Scherpereel Why do democratic leaders sometimes choose not to establish institutions that would promote the consolidation of democracy? And what are the consequences of those choices? Focusing on the cases of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, John Scherpereel explores the interplay of historical institutional legacies, short-term elite interests, and international pressures (i.e., EU conditionality) in the More > |
Islam in Russia: Religion, Politics, and SocietyGregory Simons, Marat Shterin, and Eric Shiraev, editors Russia's Muslims, numbering some 15 million, constitute far from a homogeneous sociopolitical group. So ... What does it mean to be a Muslim in Russia today? How is the image of Islam constructed, and how do the country's Muslims—and non-Muslims—perceive and react to it? These are the questions that gave rise to this book. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the More > |
Russia vs. the EU: The Competition for Influence in Post-Soviet StatesJakob Tolstrup Do Russia and the European Union have any substantial influence over the political trajectories of post-Soviet states? Shedding new light on the interplay between domestic and external drivers of regime change, Jakob Tolstrup analyzes the impact of Russia and the EU on the democratization and autocratization processes in Belarus, Moldova, and Ukraine. More > |
Searching for Peace in Europe and Eurasia: An Overview of Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding ActivitiesPaul van Tongeren, Hans van de Veen, and Juliette Verhoeven, editors Searching for Peace in Europe and Eurasia offers much-needed insight into the possibilities for effective conflict prevention and peacebuilding throughout the region. Presenting surveys of the violent conflicts in Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, the contributors offer a unique combination of background information, detailed descriptions of ongoing activities, and assessments of future More > |
Ending the Nuclear Arms Race: A Physicist’s QuestFrank N. von Hippel Frank N. von Hippel shares his remarkable journey as a key figure in the history of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy, illuminating the far-reaching consequences of nuclear accidents and the devastating impact of "limited" nuclear war. Speaking out about the dangers of nuclear power, leading the opposition against nuclear breeder reactors, meeting with Soviet leaders and colleagues More > |
Human Rights in Russia: A Darker Side of ReformJonathan Weiler The connection between Soviet authoritarianism and human rights violations once seemed unassailable, as did the belief that a transition away from communist rule would lead to better protection of human rights. Challenging these assumptions, Jonathan Weiler argues that the tumultuous processes associated with political and economic reform have, in important instances, eroded human rights in More > |
Politics and Society in Contemporary Europe: A Concise IntroductionStephen Wright What constitutes Europe today? Is there an identifiable European culture that transcends state boundaries? How do the various national political, economic, and social structures and institutions work? To what extent does the European Union influence policy in the region for members and nonmembers alike? Stephen Wright's comprehensive discussion of contemporary European politics addresses these More > |
Biosecurity in Putin’s RussiaRaymond A. Zilinskas and Philippe Mauger In March 2012, at a meeting convened by the recently reelected Russian president Vladimir Putin, Minister of Defense Serdyukov informed Mr. Putin that a plan was being prepared for "the development of weapons based on new physical principles: radiation, geophysical wave, genetic, psychophysical, etc." Subsequently, in response to concerns expressed both in Russia and abroad, the Russian More > |