Preface
Introduction: Prospects during Putin’s Fourth Term
Stephen K. Wegren
Part I: Domestic Politics
1 Political Leadership
Richard Sakwa
2 Regional Politics
Nikolai Petrov and Darrell Slider
3 The Role of Law
Kathryn Hendley
4 Civil Society and Protest
Alfred B. Evans Jr.
5 The Media
Maria Lipman
Part II: The Economy and Society
6 Economic Inequality and Social Policy
Thomas F. Remington
7 Economic Policy
Laura Solanko and Pekka Sutela
8 Crime and Corruption
Louise Shelley
9 Gender and Politics
Janet Elise Johnson and Alexandra Novitskaya
Part III: Russia and the World
10 Relations with the United States
Andrei P. Tsygankov
11 Relations with the European Union
Jeffrey Mankoff
12 Russia-China Relations
Jeanne L. Wilson
13 Food and Foreign Policy
Stephen K. Wegren and Alexander M. Nikulin
14 Energy
Stefan Hedlund
15 The Military
Bettina Renz
About the Contributors
Index
Stephen K. Wegren is professor of political science at Southern Methodist University.
This is an excellent anthology of well-written chapters that
elucidate the key dynamics of the Russian political system as well
as the main themes of Russian policy at the advent of President
Putin's return to power in 2012. In each of the chapters, the
contributors are careful to outline the parameters of the
institutional or policy themes established during the Yeltsin years
of the 1990s. They then clarify the often sharp changes that
President Putin put in place in the early 21st century. On a
broader level, the Putin/Medvedev years have been characterized by
the contradiction between movement in a more statist centralized
direction and the emergence of a more robust and participatory
political culture. In this regard, the chapters on civil society
and media are particularly welcome. Domestic policy chapters
highlight past changes and current needs in demographic, economic,
crime/corruption, and agricultural policy. The four foreign policy
chapters focus on the tensions with the US, the priority on Central
Asia, the importance of relations with the EU, and the process of
military reform. Scholars, students, and observers of Russian
politics will welcome this worthy volume. Summing Up: Recommended.
General readers; upper-division undergraduate students and above.--
"Choice Reviews"
An excellent collection of articles from specialist authors.--
"Slavonic & East European Review"
Shed[s] valuable light on a subject of past neglect and growing
importance.-- "The Royal Institute of International Affairs"
A first-rate collection of thought-provoking articles by leading
experts, this volume provides a comprehensive and balanced view of
Putin's Russia. The editor has done an excellent job of compiling
essays that cover all the key issues, from the parliament to the
press to the state of Russia's military. A must for students of
Russian affairs.--Amy Knight, Carleton University
A signal service. The contributors know the country exceedingly
well and know how to write. The book is a must-read for anyone
attempting to keep up with the extraordinary changes taking place
in Russia today.--David Powell, Wheaton College and Harvard
University
Steve Wegren's collection has been in constant demand since its
first appearance, and rightly so. Particularly welcome is the way
in which the contents change to reflect an evolving policy agenda
and the authorship changes to bring new faces into what has always
been an impressive lineup. Students will be delighted to see this
new edition and so will a more specialist readership.--Stephen
White, University of Glasgow
Whether this volume is commenting on the latest breaking news or on
the origins of nagging unsolved problems, it has the analytical
scope and intellectual rigor needed for those asking the questions:
'Who is Putin?' and 'Where is Russia going?' A textbook on current
political affairs can be a publisher's nightmare. However . . .
[this book] has stood the test of quickly changing events.--Peter
Lavelle
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