Russia was never so strong as it wants to be, and never so weak as it is thought to be. – Vladimir Putin, May 2002
The above quote best describes my history with Russia. I grew up in the Midwest to a conservative family. My childhood was filled with action movies, like Red Dawn. The Soviet Union loomed large in my mind as, to quote Ronald Reagan, the “evil empire.” The Soviets were our enemies until one day something truly unexpected happened, and the Berlin Wall fell. I don’t remember much about it other than the shock in the adults around me. Through high school, the world seemed headed toward peace. Russia and the former Soviet Union dropped off my radar. Apparently they dropped off more radars than just mine. The quote above shows how the world, in general, and the U.S., in particular, have reacted to Russia. In the Cold War, we (the U.S.) believed the first part of the sentence. Russia was the villain of our modern story. But once the Soviet Union collapsed, we switched immediately to the second part of the quote. Russia was considered a regional power, and by traditional measures, they were. However, when Putin returned to power in 2012, he unleashed Russia on international politics. The question becomes, did we underestimate Russia or did they have outsized success with what little they had? In Russia Resurrected, Kathryn E. Stoner argues that we underestimated Russia because Russian power didn’t fit into traditional paradigms. This book looks at Russia objectively – warts and all – to determine how and why Russia became an aggressor in international politics.
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine and mine alone.
TL;DR
Russia Resurrected documents just how far Russia has come since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Kathryn E. Stoner created a clear analysis of Russia’s use of its power towards its foreign policy goals, and hopefully, copies of this book will be passed around in the new presidential administration. Highly recommended.
- Argues that Russia is more than a regional power and that its international reach and influence, while in no way as extensive as that of the Soviet Union, are far more significant than often realized
- Includes extensive primary data evaluating Russia’s politics in order to show its political, economic, and social development
- Shows that we too often underestimate Russia’s varied abilities and intentions to influence global politics because we do not understand its purpose in doing so
Review: Russia Resurrected by Kathryn Stoner
Russia Resurrected is a comprehensive look at Russia’s place in the world and how Russia uses its power. Stoner seeks to show that Russia has been underestimated in power. She recommends that the traditional measures of power be reevaluated because Russia’s aggressive actions in the world, like the 2014 invasion of Crimea, took a number of people by surprise. Stoner also argues that there is a misunderstanding of Russia’s motivations for the foreign policy decisions that Putin’s government have undertaken. Putin’s foreign policy is aimed to maintain domestic stability by providing a focus outside of the country. To support these arguments, Stoner lays out Russia’s capabilities in terms of policy scope, geographic domain, and means. I think of these capabilities as issues, regional politics, and the methods of how Russia exerts its power over other nations. Stoner then proceeds to go in-depth analyzing Russia in these three areas. But she also shows just how far Russia has come since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Truly the nation has come a long way and yet still has a long way to go.
Stoner presents an even account of the nation as it currently stands. The book reads as objective in its assessments. Granted, there is a person behind these assessments, but she neither demonizes nor lionizes Russia. She lays out her arguments in straight-forward, easy to understand manner. She tells us what she plans to do; then she lays the foundation; then she adds another layer and another layer until finally the capstone to her argument rounds out the book at the end. Along the way, we learn about Russia’s economy, international aid, a survey of its recent history with the U.S., its military capabilities, and the regional power plays being made.
Academic Writing Done Right
Russia Resurrected is a book that challenged but didn’t outpace me. I never felt left behind despite the fact that nothing in here was in my knowledge base. Each argument that Stoner built was done with care and craft that pulled me along. Though this book is in conversation with other academic books about the subject; it was self-contained. I didn’t feel that I had missed the point because I hadn’t read other books on the subject. Now, I probably did miss things because I’m not part of that academic conversation, but the material was presented such that a layperson like myself could understand.
Russia, Our Ally?
Early in the book, Stoner provides a survey of Russian relations with the U.S. since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin was the first foreign leader to call Bush after the 9/11 terrorist attack. I didn’t know that. Learning how the U.S. and Russia worked together until Putin’s return to power in 2012 fascinated me. I didn’t realize how close to allies our nations were becoming, and it feels like a real missed opportunity that both nations didn’t work harder to cement that relationship. Stoner lays out some convincing reasons why the relationship soured. For example, in contrast to the decadent West, Russia saw a chance to be a conservative nation and to provide a third option between the West and a growing China.
Stoner argues that Putin is undoubtedly the driving force behind Russia’s reassertion of power in international politics. She believes that it is unlikely any other leader would have responded to world events and problems facing the nation in the same way. This doesn’t seem like a big leap; after all, leaders influence the paths of their nations all the time. That’s why we elect them, but her claims are that Putin’s priority is mantaining stability in the autocracy he’s created. He’s pushing Russian foreign policy because it wins him approval with his citizens.
A New Cold War? Unlikely
Since 2016, I’ve been wondering if we’re in a new Cold War with Russia. After reading Russia Resurrected, I’d say no. Russia knows it weakened our country by helping Donald Trump get elected, and they’re loving the chaos he’s created over the past four years. But Russia is more concerned with internal matters (see Putin’s fear of Alexei Navalny), and Putin needs to maintain power in his patronal autocracy to keep the money flowing to his chosen supporters. I don’t think it benefits either nation to re-ignite the Cold War, but we may already be going down that path. Trump’s abdication of America’s role in the world and his subservience for all things Putin has dramatically changed the international landscape. In addition, Mitch McConnell and the Republican party failed to take measures to protect our elections even after the senate released a report detailing Russia’s role in election interference. With the Republican party leaning ever more towards Russia – senators spent the Fourth of July there – it’s hard to see either side going so far as the Cold War. But we know and expect more ongoing cyber attacks from Russia will be part of the foreign policy game from this point into the foreseeable future. I have the distinct fear, though, that future incidents will heat up real fast in the Putin era.
Russia has ambiguous criteria for whether it will use its military power, and the use of nuclear weapons has even more ambiguous criteria. Stoner’s writing on Russia’s nuclear capabilities scared me more than any horror novel I’ve ever read. Humans love to devise ways to destroy the entire species, and Russia – not alone by any means – is working on extinction capable warheads. But at this point, I’m not sure the concept of mutually assured destruction is as much of a deterrent to Putin as it was to the Soviet Union. All it takes is one person without the bravery and level-headedness of Stanislav Petrov (Thank you!!!) or Vasily Arkhipov (Thank you!!!) to make parts of the world unlivable. If you’ve been getting to sleep easily, feel free to read this section. It will definitely keep you up at night.
Soft, Hard, and Sharp Power
Stoner’s discussion of soft (economics, aid, culture), hard (military), and sharp (electronic warfare) was thorough, easy to understand, and an excellent read. The examples she gives are excellent support for her arguments. Whereas the Soviet Union wanted to use these powers to convert nations to the communist ideology, Russia is using these powers to be left alone. It fears the encroachment of NATO, and the official story that Navalny is a CIA asset shows that it suspects the West in attempting to overthrow Putin’s government. I particularly enjoyed Stoner documenting how Russia is using cultural power to maintain stability and pull Eurasian nations closer to itself. One particular section that caught my eye was how Russia provides a pension to Soviet World War II veterans who now live in Israel. This is such a strong political and economic move to pull the Jewish state closer to Russia. Stoner lists these and other examples that show Russia is seeking a greater international role.
Conclusion
Kathryn E. Stoner’s Russia Resurrected is a must read for anyone interested in international politics. I learned so much, and Stoner’s level headed approach to Russia helped me see its motivations more clearly. Hopefully people in the U.S. Department of State are reading this. I highly recommend Russia Resurrected to anyone who, like me, finds Russia’s recent history fascinating.
Russia Resurrected by Kathryn E. Stoner is available from Oxford University Press on February 1st, 2021.
8 out of 10!
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