Description
Book SynopsisAs Cold War battle lines are seemingly re-drawn, Russia’s various ‘frozen’ war zones (ongoing separatist conflicts) are often cited as particularly volatile and assumed by some Western commentators and policymakers to be ‘next’ on Putin’s ‘wish list’. But, as Helena Rytövuori-Apunen demonstrates here, this is a gross (and dangerous) oversimplification that will only serve to fuel the vicious circle of reciprocal military escalation. Drawing on a range of empirical research and across separatist conflicts in Georgia (South Ossetia and Abkhazia), Moldova (Transnistria and Gagauzia) and Azerbaijan (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, her timely book provides a balanced assessment and critique of the assumptions and misunderstandings that inform mainstream discussions, as well as placing the conflicts in their proper and complex historical contexts. At a time when there is an increasing tendency to view Russia as the source of all instability in Eastern Europe,
Power and Conflict in Russia’s Borderlands is essential reading for anyone interested in the geopolitics of post-Soviet Russia, as well as policymakers and practitioners of peace/conflict resolution studies.
Trade ReviewPower and Con?ict in Russia’s Borderlands offers an original and detailed study of Russia’s policies in frozen con?icts and is strongly recommended to advanced students and researchers interested in prospects of con?ict management and Europe’s security architecture. It will also be of great interest to area studies scholars, since the in-depth reconstruction of historical events regarding con?ict negotiations may help the reader to better understand the modern social and political structure of post-Soviet states. * Europe-Asia Studies *
Table of Contents1. Introduction: Russia’s Deep Borders in the Making 2. Encounters with Georgia and Faltering Ways in the International Community 3. Dealing with Divided Moldova: Failed Resolution and Policies of Vertical Power 4. Nagorno-Karabakh: Leverage for Controlling the Deep Border Arrangements with Armenia and Azerbaijan 5. Conclusion: Russia’s Deep Border Practice in the Frozen Conflicts
Index
