Russia and its Near Neighbours 2012th Edition

‘This is a well-informed and stimulating analysis of Russia’s fraught relationship with its near neighbours (the former Soviet states), tracing not only the new geopolitical tensions but also some of the fundamental policy issues, notably the politics of energy, the domestic drivers of Russian foreign policy, and the various security dilemmas faced by individual states. The volume brings together an impressive collection of authors, each one an expert in their respective fields. Taken together, this is a state of the art analysis of developments in post-Soviet Eurasia, and thus an important contribution to a region that is assuming ever-greater importance in world politics.’

– Richard Sakwa, Professor of Russian and European Politics, University of Kent, UK

‘A timely collection of essays exploring the impact of nationalism, resource diplomacy, and national identity politics on Russia’s policy toward its closest neighbors Medvedev’s putative ‘sphere of privileged interest.’ An impressive achievement, Russia and its Near Neighbors will be of great interest to regional specialists and international relations practitioners alike.’

– Charles E. Ziegler, Professor of Political Science, University of Louisville, USA

‘In an era of increasing Russian assertiveness in international affairs, this well-researched and thought-provoking volume is essential reading not only for scholars, but also perhaps even more importantly – for foreign policy practitioners. The Bear is back and we all need to take note!’

– Leslie Holmes, Professor, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne, Australia

LILIA A. ARAKELYAN Doctoral Student and Research Assistant, Department of International Studies, University of Miami, USA DIANA DIGOL Researcher, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy, University of Hamburg, Germany JOHN DUNLOP Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, USA GRAEME P. HERD Head of the International Security Programme, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Switzerland and Co-Director of the International Training Course in Security Policy RIA LAENEN Senior Research Fellow, Institute for International and European Policy, University of Leuven, Belgium LUKE MARCH Senior Lecturer in Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics, University of Edinburgh, UK BERTIL NYGREN Associate Professor of Political Science, Swedish National Defence College and at the Department of Political Science, Stockholm University, Sweden JOHN RUSSELL Professor of Russian and Security Studies, School of Social and International Studies, University of Bradford, UK LICÍNIA SIMÃO teaches at the University of Beira Interior, Portugal HANNA SMITH Researcher, Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland MATTHEW SUSSEX Senior Lecturer, School of Government, University of Tasmania, Australia