Russia: A Return To Imperialism?

Uri Ra'anan and Kate Martin, eds.
St. Martin's Press, 1996

After the collapse of the USSR, it was widely accepted that Russia no longer constituted a serious threat to international stability and Western interests. Russia: A Return to Imperialism? presents the first major challenge to that assumption. Uri Ra'anan and Kate Martin have assembled a group of experts to look closely at Russia's present and future role in world politics. The authors cover a wide range of issues, including Russia's relations with Ukraine and Belarus'; East European Security and Russia's relationship with NATO; and President Bill Clinton's foreign policy with Russia. The book portrays Russia as a country showing increasing imperialist tendencies; and the West as ignoring those tendencies. The contributors express alarm over the apparant lack of Western attention and urge further scrutiny of Russia's policies. Informative and fascinating, Russia: A Return to Imperialism? is essential reading for anyone interested in foreign affairs and the political balance of our world.

Review from Slavic Review

Review from Library Journal

Table of Contents

Introduction
Uri Ra'anan

I. The Neo-Imperial Theme:
History and Motivations; Doctrines and Operations; Claims and International Law
1. Neo-Imperialism: The Underlying Factors
Sergei Grigoriev
2. Imperial Elements in Russia's Doctrines and Operations
Uri Ra'anan
3. Peacekeeping: Russia's Emerging Practice
Harry H. Almond, Jr.

II. The Targets:
The "Nearest Abroad"; the "Near Abroad"; the "Far Abroad"
4. The "Nearest Abroad": Russia's Relations with Ukraine and Belarus'
Adrian Karatnycky
5. Revisiting Russia's Turbulent Rim: Caucasus, Central Asia, and Moldova
Ariel Cohen
6. NATO, Russia, and East European Security
Mark Kramer

III. The Western Response:
NATO; the United States (Descriptive); the United States (Prescriptive)
7. Decline, in Character: Muffing NATO's Opportunity
Angelo Codevilla
8. Clinton's Russia Policy: Between Desire and Reality
Paul Quinn-Judge
9. Turning the Cold War on Its Head: The Costs for Russia, Its Neighbors, and the U.S.
Paul Goble