{"product_id":"the-russia-anxiety-9780141986500","title":"The Russia Anxiety","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e''This exciting and provocative book blows apart misconceptions about the Russian past'' Lara Douds, \u003ci\u003eTimes Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRussia is an exceptional country, the biggest in the world. It is both   European and exotic, powerful and weak, brilliant and flawed. Why are  we  so afraid of it?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Time and again, we judge Russia by unique   standards. We have usually assumed that it possesses higher levels of   cunning, malevolence and brutality. Yet the country has more often than   not been a crucial ally, not least against Napoleon and in the two  world  wars. We admire its music and its writers. We lavish praise on  the  Russian soul. And still we think of Russia as a unique menace. What  is  it about this extraordinary country that consistently provokes such   excessive responses? And why is this so dangerous?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRanging  from  the earliest times to the present, Mark B. Smith''s remarkable new  book  is a history of this ''Russia Anxiety''. Whether ally or enemy,  superpower  or failing state, Russia grips our imagination and fuels our  fears  unlike any other country. This book shows how history itself  offers a  clearer view and a better future.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA fluent meditation on Russian history, a gallant attempt to reason with those who believe that Russia is condemned to an endless cycle of failed reform and resurgent authoritarianism ... a welcome antidote to the overwrought stuff about Russia so widespread in the West today. -- Rodric Braithwaite * History Today *\u003cbr\u003eCompelling... Russian history is many layered, Smith argues, and the deeper we dig the more apparent it becomes that the tropes of Russophobic history bear little or no relation to reality ... As a Russian history specialist, he deploys his deep knowledge of the country's culture, society and peoples to capture with verve and imagination the grand sweep of its history, and combines this with an astute commentary on contemporary politics. -- Geoffrey Roberts * Irish Times *\u003cbr\u003eFizzing with energy, Mark B. Smith's book explodes many myths about the Russians and compels us to reflect critically on ourselves. -- Simon Dixon, author of Catherine the Great\u003cbr\u003eIn this exciting and provocative book, Mark B. Smith blows apart misconceptions about the Russian past ... Smith's energy and dynamism carry the day. -- Lara Douds * Times Higher Education *\u003cbr\u003eThe author is a highly informed guide, [who] prompts a review of prejudices ... Smith makes an important fundamental point: we must talk to the Russians and live alongside them. -- Max Hastings * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eSmith makes a very strong case that Russia's past needs to be considered as much more complex than it generally is. For that reason alone, this book deserves a large audience\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e... \u003ci\u003eThe Russia Anxiety \u003c\/i\u003eis a very welcome book. It provides a provocative and much needed analysis of Russian history which ably shows the oversimplified nature of most Western understandings of Russia. -- Paul Robinson, author of RUSSIAN CONSERVATISM and Professor of History at the University of Ottawa\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Russia Anxiety \u003c\/i\u003eis a valuable effort to assess the long history of the West's Russia-related worries ... Regrettably, more than five years [since the annexation of Crimea], the United States seems no closer to developing either a strategy or a policy to manage its relationship with Russia. Mark Smith's provocative book won't solve that problem alone, but it does offer some valuable guidance in thinking about solutions. -- Paul Saunders * Russia Matters *","brand":"Penguin Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732506980695,"sku":"9780141986500","price":12.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780141986500.jpg?v=1719997184","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-russia-anxiety-9780141986500","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}