Description
Book SynopsisIn recent times, US-Russia relations have deteriorated to what both sides acknowledge is an “all time low.” Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election and Putin’s continued support for the Assad regime in Syria have placed enormous strain on this historically tense and complex relationship.
In one of the first analyses of the evolving Trump-Putin relationship, leading scholar of Russian foreign policy Andrei P. Tsygankov challenges the dominant view that US-Russia relations have entered a new Cold War phase. Russia’s US strategy, he argues, can only be understood in the context of a changing international order. While America strives to preserve its global dominance, Russia—the weaker power—exploits its asymmetric capabilities and relations with non-Western allies to defend and promote its interests, and to avoid yielding to US pressures. Focusing on key areas of conflict and mutual convergence—from European security to China and the Middle East, as well as cyber, nuclear, and energy issues—Tsygankov paints a nuanced and unsentimental picture of two countries whose ties are likely to remain marked by suspicion and conflict for years to come.
Trade Review“An important and authoritative analysis of the structure and dynamics of contemporary US-Russia relations.”
Allen C. Lynch, University of Virginia
“Asymmetry is a defining feature of contemporary geopolitics, and the current rivalry between former Cold War opponents remains the most vivid manifestation of this phenomenon. In this compelling book, Andrei Tsygankov captures the full spectrum of Russia-US relations in all their complexity.”
Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of Russia in Global Affairs
“Throughout his meticulously sourced and dispassionate analysis of U.S.-Russian relations, Tsygankov tries to focus on Russian interests—a rare approach in a time when so many observers commonly regard Russia as a malign actor.”
Foreign Affairs
Table of ContentsPreface
1. Rivals, Not Enemies
2. The World Order Transition
3. Putin and Trump
4. European Security
5. The Middle East
6. Asia and China
7. Values and Information
8. Nuclear and Cyber Security
9. Energy and Sanctions
10. Where to from the Asymmetric Rivalry?
Selected Bibliography
