Bøger i Routledge Contemporary Russia and Eastern Europe Series serien

This book traces the development of EU-Russia relations in recent years. It argues that a major factor influencing the relationship is the changing internal dynamics of both parties, in Russiäs case an increasingly authoritarian state, in the case of the EU an increasing coherence in its foreign policy as applied to former Soviet countries which Russia regarded as interference in its own sphere. The book considers the impact of conflicts in Kosovo, Chechnya, Georgia and Ukraine, discusses the changing internal situation in both Russia and the EU, including the difficulties in overcoming fragmentation in EU policy-making, and concludes by assessing how the situation is likely to develop.

The challenges in RussiaΓÇÖs energy sector are changing. On the demand side, Europe is seeking to limit its dependence on Russian oil and gas, with the result that China and other Asian countries are likely to eventually become growing export markets for Russian energy. On the supply side, oil and gas fields in West Siberia are diminishing and in future RussiaΓÇÖs energy will have to come more from East Siberia and the Arctic, which will necessitate new infrastructure development and the employment of advanced technologies, which may increase RussiaΓÇÖs dependence on commercial partners from outside Russia. This book explores the challenges facing RussiaΓÇÖs energy sector and the resulting security implications. It includes a discussion of how far the Russian state is likely to continue to monopolise the energy sector, and how far competition from private and foreign companies might be allowed.

This book tells the untold story of how ordinary Russian people coped with Russiäs transformations after the end of communism. This book, which includes findings from interviews, memoirs, public opinion surveys and press articles, portrays a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional society that was affected by deep and varied changes in diverse ways. The book covers economic developments, social changes, the psychological impact of the changes and the impact on public opinion, and how different regions were affected differently. Overall, the book reveals the hidden dynamics of Russian society, and shows how millions of Russians coped and maintained the integrity and stability of the country.

This book provides an overview of the state of Russia after the 2012 presidential election. It considers a wide range of both domestic and international issues, examining both the run up to and the consequences of the election. It covers political, economic, and social topics. It assesses the political scene both before and after the election, and discusses the nature of and likely future of democracy in Russia. The electionΓÇÖs impact on the Russian economy is discussed in detail, as are RussiaΓÇÖs relationships with the United States, the European Union, and other parts of the world.

The end of communism in Europe has tended to be discussed mainly in the context of political science and history. This book, in contrast, assesses the cultural consequences for Europe of the disappearance of the Soviet bloc.

This book explores the portrayal of women in Soviet films of the 1950s to 1970s, during which time a large number of films featured complex female characters who went beyond the stereotypical women of Soviet realism.

This book assesses the quality of democracy in Poland from the collapse of communism in 1989 up to the 2011 parliamentary election. It presents an in-depth study comparing two decades of democratic politics. The book is an important contribution to debates on the performance of the new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe, where some scholars argue that there is a `democratic crisis¿. The book shows that democratic quality stems from good democratic institutions, and concludes that effective accountability, good representation and stable competition are vital.

This book adopts a novel analytical approach to understanding how Russia's stalled democratisation is related to the incomplete liberalisation of the economy. Based on extensive original comparative study of Russiäs regions, the book explores the precise channels of interaction that create the mutuality of property rights, entrepreneurship, rule of law, norms of citizenship and liberal democracy. It demonstrates that the extent of democratisation varies across regions, and that this variation is connected to the extent of liberalisation of the economy.

As Central Asia and the adjacent territory become more important to the world, there is increasing interest in the region from international powers. This book considers economic, political, social and security developments, and examines the region's connections with Russia, China, Europe and the United States. Above all the book examines the concept of "Eurasia" and discusses how far the dynamics of the region are likely to lead to regional integration. The book argues that, although regional integration ought to be an appealing idea, with potential for economic benefits and increased international influence, in practice recent attempts at re-integration have not been very successful.

During the early 2000s the market liberalization reforms to the Russian economy, begun in the 1990s, were consolidated. But since the mid 2000s economic policy has moved into a new phase, characterized by more state intervention with less efficiency and more structural problems. This book argues that problems of corruption, weak competitiveness, heavy dependency on energy exports, an unbalanced labour market, and unequal regional development will worsen unless the government changes direction. The book provides an in-depth analysis of the current Russian economic system, highlighting structural and institutional defects, and suggests how the present situation could be remedied.

This book explores developments in the three major societies of the South Caucasus ΓÇô Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia ΓÇô focusing especially on religion, historical traditions, national consciousness, and political culture, and on how these factors interact. It outlines how, despite close geographical interlacement, common historical memories and inherited structures, the three countries have deep differences; and it discusses how development in all three nations has differed significantly from the countriesΓÇÖ declared commitments to democratic orientation and European norms and values. The book also considers how external factors and international relations continue to impact on the three countries.

Digital Russia provides a comprehensive analysis of the ways in which new media technologies have shaped language and communication in contemporary Russia. It traces the development of the Russian-language internet, explores the evolution of web-based communication practices, showing how they have both shaped and been shaped by social, political, linguistic and literary realities, and examines online features and trends that are characteristic of, and in some cases specific to, the Russian-language internet.

The idea that socialism could be established in a single country was adopted as an official doctrine by the Soviet Union in 1925, Stalin and Bukharin being the main formulators of the policy. Before this there had been much debate as to whether the only way to secure socialism would be as a result of socialist revolution on a much broader scale, across all Europe or wider still. This book traces the development of ideas about communist utopia from Plato onwards, paying particular attention to debates about universalist ideology versus the possibility for "socialism in one country". The book argues that although the prevailing view is that "socialism in one country" was a sharp break from a long tradition that tended to view socialism as only possible if universal, in fact the territorially confined socialist project had long roots, including in the writings of Marx and Engels.

From smugglers to entrepreneurs, blue-collar workers and taxi drivers, this book deals with the multitude of characters engaged in informal economic practices in the former socialist regions. Going beyond a conception of informality as opposed to the formal sector, its authors demonstrate the fluid nature of informal transactions straddling the crossroads between illegal, illicit, socially acceptable and symbolically meaningful practices. Alongside `getting by¿ and `getting ahead¿ in recently marketised societies, these meanings relate to sociality, kinship-ties and solidarity, along with more surprising `political¿ and moral reasonings.

The challenges in Russiäs energy sector are changing. On the demand side, Europe is seeking to limit its dependence on Russian oil and gas, leading potentially to growing export markets in Asia, whilst on the supply side, oil and gas fields in West Siberia are diminishing. This book explores the challenges facing Russiäs energy sector and the resulting security implications. It includes a discussion of how far the Russian state is likely to continue to monopolise the energy sector, and how far competition from private and foreign companies might be allowed.

Russia has generally been neglected in the academic and policy discourse on regional integration in East Asia. This book fills this gap, with particular attention to the role of Pacific Russia in the deepening regional integration in East Asia. It examines the increasingly diverse foreign policy interests of Russia related to emerging economic and political realities of the world, and Russiäs potential role in the regional integration in East Asia.

This book provides an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of Eastern Christian churches in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia and the US. Written by leading international scholars in the field, it examines both Eastern Orthodox and Oriental churches from the end of the Cold War until the present day. The book examines the religious revival after the fall of communism, changing relations between churches and the political realm, and then goes on to analyse the new challenges faced by Eastern Christian churches in the twenty-first century.

The end of communism in Europe has tended to be discussed mainly in the context of political science and history. This book, in contrast, assesses the cultural consequences for Europe of the disappearance of the Soviet bloc. Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach, the book examines the new narratives about national, individual and European identities that have emerged in literature, theatre and other cultural media, investigates the impact on the mental landscape of Western Europe as well as Eastern Europe and Russia, and explores the new borders in the form of divisive nationalism that have reappeared since the disappearance of the Iron Curtain.

Examines gender differences in responses to economic reform, and considers the implications of these for the labour market outcomes and wider well-being of men and women during transition. This book analyses the journeys of 240 men and women through the turbulent Russian labour market of 1999-2001.

In Soviet times, anthropologists in the Soviet Union were closely involved in the stateΓÇÖs work of nation building. They helped define official nationalities, and gathered material about traditional customs and suitably heroic folklore, whilst at the same time refraining from work on the reality of contemporary Soviet life. Since the end of the Soviet Union anthropology in Russia has been transformed. International research standards have been adopted, and the focus of research has shifted to include urban culture and difficult subjects, such as xenophobia. However, this transformation has been, and continues to be, controversial, with, for example, strongly contested debates about the relevance of Western anthropology and cultural theory to post-Soviet reality. This book presents an overview of how anthropology in Russia has changed since Soviet times, and showcases examples of important Russian anthropological work. As such, the book will be of great interest not just to Russian specialists, but also to anthropologists more widely, and to all those interested in the way academic study is related to prevailing political and social conditions.

This book sheds new light on the continuing debate within political thought as to what constitutes power, and what distinguishes legitimate from illegitimate power. It does so by considering the experience of Russia, a polity where experiences of the legitimacy of power and the collapse of power offer a contrast to Western experiences on which most political theory, formulated in the West, is based. The book considers power in a range of contexts ΓÇô philosophy and discourse; the rule of law and its importance for economic development; the use of culture and religion as means to legitimate power; and liberalism and the reasons for its weakness in Russia. The book concludes by arguing that the Russian experience provides a useful lens through which ideas of power and legitimacy can be re-evaluated and re-interpreted, and through which the idea of "the West" as the ideal model can be questioned.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the norms and practices of ethnic diversity management in the Russian Federation in the last twenty years. It examines the evolution of the legal framework, the institutional architecture and the policies intended to address the large number of challenges posed by RussiaΓÇÖs immense ethno-cultural diversity. It analyses the legal, social and political changes affecting ethno-cultural relations and the treatment of ethnic minorities, and assesses how ethnic diversity both influences and is shaped by transformations in Russian politics and society. It concludes by appraising how successful or otherwise policies have been so far, and by outlining the challenges still faced by the Russian Federation.

This book presents a comprehensive overview of current developments related to Russia's military sector. It considers recent military reforms, changes in civil-military relations, and the continuing huge economic significance of Russia's military-industrial complex.

A postcommunist condition has arisen from the fall of the Berlin Wall and later the Soviet Empire: this book looks at how this condition has manifested itself globally in the production of post-communist film. It argues post-communism is a shared experience on a geopolitical level, unlimited by national state borders, and examines postcommunist cross culturalism and global totalitarianism within film.

This book examines how membership of the European Union has affected life in the ten former communist countries of Eastern Europe that are now members of the European Union. For each country, political, economic and social changes are described and discussed, together with people's perceptions of the effects of EU membership. Overall, the book shows how the benefits of EU membership have differed between different countries, and how perceptions about the benefits also differ and have changed over time.

This book compares and contrasts Georgiäs First Republic, which lasted from 1918 until suppressed by Bolshevik Soviet forces in 1921, with the present Georgian Republic, which gained its independence when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.