Russia and the West from Alexander to Putin: Honor in International Relations

by Andrei P. Tsygankov

Since Russia has re-emerged as a global power, its foreign policies have come under close scrutiny. In Russia and the West from Alexander to Putin, Andrei P. Tsygankov identifies honor as the key concept by which Russia's international relations are determined. He argues that Russia's interests in acquiring power, security and welfare are filtered through this cultural belief and that different conceptions of honor provide an organizing framework that produces policies of cooperation, defensiveness and assertiveness in relation to the West. Using ten case studies spanning a period from the early nineteenth century to the present day – including the Holy Alliance, the Triple Entente and the Russia-Georgia war – Tsygankov's theory suggests that when it perceives its sense of honor to be recognized, Russia cooperates with the Western nations; without such a recognition it pursues independent policies either defensively or assertively.

Genres: Russia

330 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2012

Reviews

[Jared · Rating 3 out of 5]

Russia and the West... is a book that I picked up in order to gain a greater understanding of Russia since my knowledge of the region is quite limited. As a result, my review of the book will be limited since my knowledge framework on the topic is quite limited. Nevertheless, I was able to learn some good points that I will use to build upon.

In the final pages of the book, the author provided a chart that would have been beneficial at the start of the book in explaining Russia's typical actions based on their relationship with the West and also its internal strength as well as its primary interests. The author is quite knowledgeable about the subject but as is often the case in such books, the author does a poor job in clearly articulating his points. The author states that 'honor' is a key factor in how Russia executes its foreign policy. I appreciate how the author explores opposing points of view from an international relations point of view; however, the introduction of all these ideas and counter-proposals dilutes the point the author is trying to make. It is confusing to say the least. In addition, the book goes forward and backward through time as the author explores various topics.

Despite the structural flaws of the book and the incredibly dry and non-engaging prose, I was able to steal away some good points to ponder. I would not recommend this book to others and I am confident that there are much better books in understanding Russian foreign policy.