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.

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9780190253301

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<em>Near Abroad</em> 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, <em>Near Abroad</em>, 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 <em>Patronal Politics</em> 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 selected conflict, 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 answers the question, 'Why does Russia invade his 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 <em>The Democracy Promotion Paradox</em>

Near Abroad eloquently challenges three geopolitical frames employed in Western geopolitical culture referring to the current standoff with Russia. * Joanna Rak, Geopolitics *

Near Abroad eloquently challenges three geopolitical frames employed in Western geopolitical culture referring to the current standoff with Russia. Joanna Rak, Geopolitics

Author Information

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

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