Book Description

Central and East European Studies Series, 2 (International Studies Library, 33) Over the past decade the policies of the European Union and the Russian Federation have increasingly come into conflict, as both have attempted to pursue their interests in their respective 'neighbourhoods', neighbourhoods that overlap thoughout post-Soviet territory. Russia views efforts by the EU to establish closer political and economic ties and to support democratic political developments in the region as direct challenges to Russia's 'legitimate' interests. With the reemergence of Russia as an important international actor under Vladimir Putin, Russian policy became increasing assertive in protecting those interests, culminating in the war with Georgia. The book provides a broad examination of various aspects of this competitive relationship. Table of Contents Preface Contributors Introduction - Roger E. Kanet University of Miami, USA and Maria Raquel Freire University of Coimbra, Portugal PART I: RUSSIA, THE EUROPEAN UNION, AND THEIR COMMON NEIGHBOURHOOD Ch. 1. Russian Foreign Policy Toward Its Neighbourhood: A Complex Mosaic of Relations - Maria Raquel Freire, University of Coimbra, Portugal Ch. 2. Are the Policies of Russia and the EU in their Shared Neighbourhood Doomed to Clash? - Tom Casier, Brussels School of International Studies / University of Kent, Belgium Ch. 3. Cross-conditionality in a Common Neighbourhood: Russia and the EU Competing for Influence in Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus - Jakob Tolstrup, University of Aarhus, Denmark Ch. 4. The Russian Factor in the EU's Ambitions towards the East - Sandra Fernandes, University of Minho, Portugal Ch. 5. The Northern Dimension: A Possible Model for the EU-Russian105 Relationship? - Dina Moulioukova-Fernandez & Roger E. Kanet, University of Miami, USA PART II: RUSSIA, THE EUROPEAN UNION, AND THE GREATER CASPIAN REGION Ch. 6. Security, Sovereignty, and Democracy: The EU, the OSCE, and Central Asia - Charles E. Ziegler, University of Louisville, USA Ch. 7. EU-Russian Security Relations: Lessons from the South Caucasus - Licínia Simão, University of Coimbra, Portugal PART III: RUSSIA AND THE WEST: THE FOUNDATIONS OF RUSSIAN FOREIGN POLICY Ch. 8. The 2012 Presidential Problem: Reset once again in Russian-US Relations? - Bertil Nygren, National Defence College and Stockholm University, Sweden Ch. 9. Reflections on Russia-EU Relations after the Arab Spring - Graeme Herd, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Switzerland Ch. 10. North Stream-South Stream - Nabucco: How Gas Supplies Redefine the Balance of Power in East and South Europe - Remi Piet, University of Miami, USA Conclusion - Roger E. Kanet, University of Miami, USA & Maria Raquel Freire, University of Coimbra, Portugal About the Editors Roger E. Kanet, Ph.D. (1966) in Politics, Princeton University, is Professor of International Studies at the University of Miami. He has published extensively on international politics and Russian foreign policy, including The United States and Europe in a Changing World (RoL, 2009) and A Resurgent Russia and the West: The European Union, NATO and Beyond (RoL, 2009). Maria Raquel Freire, Ph.D., University of Kent at Canterbury, is assistant professor in the Department of International Relations at the University of Coimbra and researcher at the Centre for Social Studies (CES) of the University of Coimbra. Her research focuses on foreign policy, Russia and the post-Soviet space and peace studies. She has published widely, including Key Players and Regional Dynamics in Eurasia (Palgrave, 2010)