Power and Conflict in Russia's Borderlands

As Cold War battle lines are seemingly re-drawn Russia's various 'frozen' war zones (ongoing separatist conflicts) are often cited as particularly volatile and assumed by some Western commentators and policymakers to be 'next' on Putin's 'wish list'.<br/> <br/>But as Helena Rytövuori-Apunen demonstrates here this is a gross (and dangerous) oversimplification that will only serve to fuel the vicious circle of reciprocal military escalation. Drawing on a range of empirical research and across separatist conflicts in Georgia (South Ossetia and Abkhazia) Moldova (Transnistria and Gagauzia) and Azerbaijan (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine her timely book provides a balanced assessment and critique of the assumptions and misunderstandings that inform mainstream discussions as well as placing the conflicts in their proper and complex historical contexts. At a time when there is an increasing tendency to view Russia as the source of all instability in Eastern Europe <i>Power and Conflict in Russia's Borderlands</i> is essential reading for anyone interested in the geopolitics of post-Soviet Russia as well as policymakers and practitioners of peace/conflict resolution studies.