Russia and Globalization: Identity, Security, and Society in an Era of Change

Russia is a battered giant, struggling to rebuild its power and identity in an era of globalization. Several of the essays in this diverse and original collection point to the difficulty of guaranteeing a stable domestic order due to demographic shifts, economic changes, and institutional weaknesses. Other contributors focus on the country’s efforts to respond to the challenges posed by globalization, and discuss the various ways in which Russia is reconceptualizing its role as an international actor. Ambivalence is a recurrent theme, according to editor Douglas W. Blum—ambivalence about globalization’s costs and benefits and the efforts required to manage them.

Douglas W. Blum is a professor of political science at Providence College and an adjunct professor of international studies at The Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University.

Tables and Figures
Acknowledgments

1. Introduction: Russia and Globalization—A Historical and Conceptual Framework
Ulf Hedetoft with Douglas W. Blum

Part I. Globalization and Domestic Processes
2. The Russian Demographic Crisis in Cross-National Perspective
Andrey Korotayev and Darya Khaltourina
3. Globalization, Regional Change, and the Territorial Cohesion of the Russian Federation
Michael Bradshaw
4. Russian Identity and Siberia’s Self-Identification: Historical Traditions in a Global World
Evgeny Vodichev and Vladimir Lamin
5. The Transformation of the Russian System of Higher Education
Gennady N. Konstantinov and Sergey R. Filonovich
6. The Russian Defense Industry in the Age of Globalization
Alla Kassianova
7. Integration from Below? The Disappointing Effort to Promote Civil Society in Russia
James Richter

Part II. Globalization and Foreign Policy
8. Going “Relativistic”: The Changing Vision of “Just International Order” in Russian Foreign Policy
Mikhail Troitskiy
9. Socializing Baltic Sea States into a Security Community: Aspects of Globalization
Erik Noreen
10. Chechnya, the Council of Europe, and the Advocacy of Human Rights in the Toughest of Cases
Rick Fawn
11. Russian Geopolitics in the Context of Globalization
Eduard Solovyev
12. Globalization, Identity, and Changing Understandings of Security in Russia
Alexey Fenenko
13. Conclusion: Links between Security, Identity, and Globalization in Russia
Douglas W. Blum

“This volume pools together not only excellent original empirical research, but also new interpretations of the challenges arising from globalization in a specific context of post-Soviet Russia … To my knowledge [there is] no single volume that comprehensively covers the key themes of identity and security as part of Russia’s globalization. It stands to make a significant contribution to the existing studies.”—Mikhail Alexseev, San Diego State University

“The best feature of [Russia and Globalization] may be the boldness of its ambition—to bring together scholars from around the world to write on topics from education to international security, and to focus explicitly on both identity formation and globalization in the Russian context. Because of this approach, the book is able to offer insights into a wide variety of questions of interest to many different types of scholar and policymaker.”—Andrew Barnes, Kent State University

“There is much to recommend this book and Blum should be congratulated on his editorial and organisational efforts.”—Neil Robinson, Political Studies Review

“One of the first efforts to understand Russia’s engagement with globalization, and it is a welcome effort… an important and a pioneering effort.”—Andrei P. Tsygankov, International Studies Review

“This rich collection of articles explores the multifaceted relationship between globalization, security, and identity. Analysts of both Russian foreign and domestic politics should find it a fruitful read. It is also a unique contribution to the literature on globalization.”—Daniel R. Kempton, Slavic Review

“This will prove to be a very useful and timely collection which could be used selectively in courses on globalisation and the domestic and international politics of Russia.”—David Lane, Europe-Asia Studies

“Unquestionably a valuable scholarly contribution, and gives clear indication of the awesome task confronting Russia in the age of globalization.”—Seth Unmack, Australian Slavonic and East European Studies