Near Abroad: Putin, the West and the Contest over Ukraine and the Caucasus

by Gerard Toal

Overview

Before Russia invaded Ukraine, it invaded Georgia. Both states are part of Russia's "near abroad" - newly independent states that were once part of the Soviet Union and are now Russia's neighbors. While the Russia-Georgia war of 2008 faded from the headlines in the wake of the global recession, the geopolitical contest that created it did not. Six years later, the spectre of a revanchist Russia returned when Putin's forces invaded and annexed the Crimean peninsula, once part of Russia but an internationally recognized part of Ukraine since the Soviet collapse. Crimea's annexation and follow on conflict in eastern Ukraine have generated the greatest geopolitical crisis on the European continent since the end of the Cold War. In Near Abroad, the eminent political geographer Gerard Toal moves beyond the polemical rhetoric that surrounds Russia's interventions in Georgia and Ukraine to study the underlying territorial conflicts and geopolitical struggles. Central to understanding are legacies of the Soviet Union collapse: unresolved territorial issues, weak states and a conflicted geopolitical culture in Russia over the new territorial order. The West's desire to expand NATO contributed to a growing geopolitical contest in Russia's near abroad. This found expression in a 2008 NATO proclamation that Georgia and Ukraine will become members of NATO, a "red line" issue for Russia. The road to invasion and war in Georgia and Ukraine, thereafter, is explained in Near Abroad. Geopolitics is often thought of as a game of chess. Near Abroad provides an account of real life geopolitics, one that emphasizes changing spatial relationships, geopolitical cultures and the power of media images. Rather than being a cold game of deliberation, geopolitics is often driven by emotions and ambitions, by desires for freedom and greatness, by clashing personalities and reckless acts. Not only a penetrating analysis of Russia's relationships with its regional neighbors, Near Abroad also offers an analysis of how US geopolitical culture frequently fails to fully understand Russia and the geopolitical archipelago of dependencies in its near abroad.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190253325
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/16/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Gerard Toal (Gear?id ? Tuathail) is Professor of Government and International Affairs in the School of Public and International Affairs at Virginia Tech's Washington metro area campus.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Acknowledgements Introduction: Near Abroads Chapter 1: Why Does Russia Invade its Neighbors? Chapter 2: Geopolitical Catastrophe Chapter 3: A Cause in the Caucasus Chapter 4: Territorial Integrity Chapter 5: Rescue Missions Chapter 6: Places Close to Our Hearts Chapter 7: The Novorossiya Project Chapter 8: Geopolitics Thick and Thin

Editorial Reviews

11/07/2016
Toal, director of the government and international affairs program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, National Capital Region campus, analyzes Vladimir Putin’s military actions in Georgia and Ukraine to demonstrate how “structurally similar affective storylines in U.S. and Russian geopolitical culture produced mutual incomprehension.” He begins by delving into Putin’s worldview. In Putin’s own words, with the collapse of the Soviet Union “tens of millions of our co-citizens and compatriots found themselves outside Russian territory.” Toal believes that Putin is not trying to recreate the U.S.S.R., but to bring these self-identified Russians back into the fold and “to make Russia great again.” Thus, Putin sees NATO and E.U. expansion as a threat to those Russians living “near abroad.” American actions during George W. Bush’s administration and onward that support “democratic” regimes in Georgia and other border countries have only increased Russian fear of a takeover of these regions by Western nations. American support of an independent Kosovo and American rejection of Ossetian independence are evidence that a chillingly similar rhetoric is employed by both Russia and the West to justify their aims. Toal’s thorough, academically oriented study provides a window into the beliefs of many Russians and is a corrective to the point of view prevalent in Western news. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"This timely and incisive work is highly recommended for those interested in how a new path leading from the ruins of the crumbling liberal international order established after World War II can be anticipated, plotted and navigated." — Charles Travis, Trinity College Dublin, University of Texas—Arlington

"Gerard Toal's book is positioned within the field of critical geopolitics ... It offers a convincing critique of the dominant explanations ... [this] book makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate." — Viacheslav Morozov, Slavic Review

"Near Abroad is a brilliant and indispensable contribution to our understanding of post-Soviet politics and the hidden power of geopolitical culture. Examining the conflicts in Georgia and Ukraine, Toal convincingly shows that geopolitical practice is neither inherently rational nor driven by objective external pressures, but is rather infused with deep normative assumptions about the legitimate boundaries of political spaces, shared discourses and flows among transnational political communities, and highly stylized emotional appeals."

— Alexander Cooley, Director, Harriman Institute, Columbia University; author of Logics of Hierarchy and Great Games, Local Rules

"Gerard Toal is one of the smartest and most interesting thinkers working on post-Soviet politics today and his incisive new book, Near Abroad, does not disappoint. Toal sheds new light on how Russians think about their neighbors, with major implications for regional stability and the West more generally."

— Henry Hale, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, George Washington University; author of Patronal Politics

"Cutting through the overarching narratives that dominate discussion of Russia's engagement with its 'near abroad,' Toal offers telling insights into the underlying geopolitical conceptions and arrangements that are at the heart of the territorial struggles that have unfolded in Ukraine and Georgia. The book is not just a contribution to understanding these selected conflicts, however. It will help audiences beyond the academy appreciate the nature and value of the 'critical geopolitics' project that Toal himself has played such an important role in advancing."

— Alexander Murphy, Professor of Geography, University of Oregon, and former President, Association of American Geographers

"In this valuable work, Gerard Toal attempts to answer the question, 'Why does Russia invade its neighbors?' Toal performs the deft and essential balancing act of recognizing both that Russia poses significant threats to its region and that events and leaders outside of Moscow have also played a role in the deteriorating relationship between Russia and the US. This book is an extremely important contribution for those of us looking for a deeper, more thoughtful and challenging analysis of the dynamic between Russia, its neighbors like Ukraine and Georgia, and the US."

— Lincoln Mitchell, author of The Democracy Promotion Paradox

"It is a book that challenges oversimplified understandings of the post-Soviet realm, and it is a clarion call for a thicker geopolitics-a project to which geographers have much to contribute. Its engaging style and thought-provoking analysis make it a work that can and should reach audiences outside the academy. It is also the kind of book that can advance understanding of geography's relevance for public debate. More such books are very much needed." - Alexander B. Murphy, Department of Geography, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.

"Near Abroad reads like a suspense novel that happens to also be a remarkable piece of scholarship. It is thoroughly researched and written with great care and responsibility." - Marianna Pavlovskaya, Department of Geography, Hunter College

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