Putin and His Neighbors

Russia's Policies toward Eurasia

Dina R. Spechler, Martin C. Spechler

• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Year: 2019
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781978756397
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Diplomacy & Treaties
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin has implemented a set of policies toward his neighbors intended to help him re-establish his country's status as a major world power. These have included dominating, as far as possible, the independent states that once were part of the USSR and preventing further NATO encroachment on Russia's borders. He has also sought a pragmatic partnership with China to help bolster the Russian economy in the face of Western sanctions and declining revenues from oil and gas. This book argues that Putin's efforts have been largely, although not entirely, successful. Inthe future, however, the weakness of the Russian economy as compared to China's may pose a threat to Moscow's ability to maintain a Russian sphere of influence in its own neighborhood.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Introduction
• 1 Russia’s Foreign Policy Objectives under Putin
• 2 Russia’s Economic Weakness
• 3 Disappointing Multilateral Institutions
• 4 Bilateral Deals with Central Asian States
• 5 Military Pressure on Southwestern Neighbors
• 6 Resisting NATO Pressure: Northwest Border States
• 7 Russia v. China: A Problematic Partnership
• 8 Conclusions and Prospects
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Authors