The Russian Challenge to the European Security Environment

“Roger Kanet, a respected expert on the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia, has assembled a stellar team of scholars, from Russia and the West, to examine Russia’s policy toward Europe.  The individual chapters offer well-researched, provocative, and contrasting assessments, using theoretical frameworks ranging from realism to constructivism.  Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support for the rebellion in Ukraine’s east have ignited a heated debate over the motivations and objectives shaping Russian policy in Europe. That makes this superb volume particularly timely.”

–Rajan Menon, Anne and Bernard Spitzer Chair in Political Science, The City College of New York, USA

This edited collection examines the factors that have contributed to the growing conflict in Eurasia between the Russian Federation and the European Union and the United States. The individual chapters, written by authors with different national backgrounds, highlightthe factors that have contributed to the emerging competition between the two sides that has culminated in the confrontation over Ukraine and Syria. It also deals with questions concerning the possible emergence of a new security environment in Europe and Eurasia.

“This excellent volume  pulls together a group of experts from both Russia and the West to examine the factors that have led – some would say  inexorably - to the current confrontation between Putin’s  Russia  and the West. And even if we prefer not to call it a ‘new’ cold war we can all agree that the positive relationship that many  looked forward to after 1991 has soured badly. Whether or not the new US president can ‘reset’ the relationship remains to be seen. But perhaps one place he might think of looking first  to get him up to speed  on modern Russia and its troubled relationship with the West might be Roger Kanet’s terrific collection.” (Michael Cox, Founding Director of LSE IDEAS, UK)

“In this excellent volume, noted specialists from Russia, Europe and the United States trace the evolution of post-Cold War tensions between Russia and the West, and detail how the Ukrainian crisis thrust these conflicting interests into sharp relief.Through a series of miscalculations—and misunderstandings—Russia and NATO now appear closer to military conflict than at any time in the past three decades. The authors of this timely collection provide a judicious and sober assessment of what many have called the new Cold War. Highly recommended.“ (Charles E. Ziegler, University of Louisville, USA)

“Roger Kanet, a respected expert on the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia, has assembled a stellar team of scholars, from Russia and the West, to examine Russia’s policy toward Europe.  The individual chapters offer well-researched, provocative, and contrasting assessments, using theoretical frameworks ranging from realism to constructivism.  Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support for the rebellion in Ukraine’s east have ignited a heated debate over the motivations and objectives shaping Russian policy in Europe. That makes this superb volume particularly timely.” (Rajan Menon, Anne and Bernard Spitzer Chair in Political Science, The City College of New York, USA)

Roger E. Kanet is Professor of Political Science at the University of Miami. He has also taught at the University of Kansas and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His most recent publications include a number of titles published by Palgrave Macmillan, including; Power, Politics and Confrontation in Eurasia: Foreign Policy in a Contested Area, 2015; Russia, Eurasian Integration and the New Geopolitics of Energy, 2015; 2012; Russia and Its Near Neighbours, 2012; Russian Foreign Policy in the Twenty-first Century, 2010; Key Players and Regional Dynamics in Eurasia: The Return of the ‘Great Game’, 2010.