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Near Abroad: Putin, the West and the Contest over Ukraine and the Caucasus Illustrated Edition, Kindle Edition

by Gerard Toal (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
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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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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0190253301
  2. Edition
    Illustrated
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    December 16, 2016
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    17345 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This timely and incisive work is highly recommended for those interested in how a new path leading from the ruins of the crumbling liberal international order established after World War II can be anticipated, plotted and navigated." -- Charles Travis, Trinity College Dublin, University of Texas--Arlington

"Gerard Toal's book is positioned within the field of critical geopolitics ... It offers a convincing critique of the dominant explanations ... [this] book makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate." -- Viacheslav Morozov, Slavic Review

"Near Abroad 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, Near Abroad, 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 Patronal Politics

"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 these selected conflicts, 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 answer the question, 'Why does Russia invade its 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 The Democracy Promotion Paradox

"It is a book that challenges oversimplified understandings of the post-Soviet realm, and it is a clarion call for a thicker geopolitics-a project to which geographers have much to contribute. Its engaging style and thought-provoking analysis make it a work that can and should reach audiences outside the academy. It is also the kind of book that can advance understanding of geography's relevance for public debate. More such books are very much needed." - Alexander B. Murphy, Department of Geography, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR.

"Near Abroad reads like a suspense novel that happens to also be a remarkable piece of scholarship. It is thoroughly researched and written with great care and responsibility." - Marianna Pavlovskaya, Department of Geography, Hunter College

About the Author

Gerard Toal (Gearoid 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.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N1SOP1X
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Illustrated edition (December 16, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 16, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 17345 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 406 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0190069511
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

About the author

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Gearóid Ó Tuathail

Gearóid Ó Tuathail

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Gerard Toal (in Gaelic Gearóid Ó Tuathail) is Professor of Government & International Affairs at Virginia Tech's campus in Old Town Alexandria. He lives in Washington DC and writes on US geopolitical culture, with particular focus on the Balkans and Caucasus. He has helped write, edit and compile seven books. For more see his blog: criticalgeopolitics.com (toal.net) and the Twitter account Toal_CritGeo.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
41 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

akgeographer
5.0 out of 5 stars A level-headed and insightful analysis of the post-Soviet geopolitical scene.
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2018
Verified Purchase
Perhaps the most astute and level-headed analysis of Russia's contemporary geopolitical behavior on offer, and a fantastic example of applied critical geopolitics. Toal unmasks the tired Western tropes about Russian geopolitics, tropes that oversimplify the extremely complex constellation of factors that influence Russian intervention in the former Soviet states. He does so without exonerating Russia from its transgressions, however, instead showing how the same strategies are used to narrate and justify Russian aggression to the Russian people and the world. Neither apologist nor hawk, Toal simply illustrates how both the West and Russia (and the critical points in between) have deployed sophisticated and effective discursive, narrative, and rhetorical strategies to frame cause and effect in the Caucasus and Eastern Europe. A brilliant and enlightening look at an issue that is often grossly misrepresented, on both sides of the line.
3 people found this helpful
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D A Booth
4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative, somewhat enlightening
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
I found the opening chapter a bit jargonistic, an academic attempt to invent terms rather than use already existing words, perhaps a necessary way to define a field and her nowhere near as bad as some but not attractive at that. The remaining chapters eschewed this, mainly, and were much more informative. The Georgian case was pretty much what I remember from other sources though his explanation is much more detailed. His explanation of events in the Ukraine is, perhaps, even more detailed and enriched by opinion polls he conducted in the region. The end result is a much nuanced understanding than one gets from most of the reports published in western media and makes Russian/Putin's behavior more understandable if not exactly justified.
3 people found this helpful
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BWL
5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Book
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2017
I have read numerous books on Vladimir Putin and his intervention in Ukraine and Gerard Toal’s ”Near Abroad’’ is one of the best. His approach is multi-disciplinary, and deconstructs both the cultural and geographical aspects of geo-politics. He calls it ‘’affective geo-politics.’’ The result is one the deepest and most sustained analysis that I have read, of both Western and Russian positions on the events in Crimea and the Donbass. It underlines that the irrational is in the forefront on both sides and that nobody looks very good. Certainly, no one is blameless.

I would suggest that this book be read along with Angela Stent’s ‘’The Limits of Partnership,’’, BoBo Lo’s ‘’Russia And The New World Disorder,’’ and Dimitri Trenin’s new ‘’Should We Fear Russia.”

In spite of their excellent analysis, I feel both Toal and Trenin come up short in defining what are The West’s, Russia’s, and Ukraine’s true interests. BoBo Lo does defines those interests, and Angela Stent, in turn, makes clear that this conflict was almost inevitable, as both side’s geo-political and ideological interests are almost diametrically opposed.

In all, an excellent book that adds greatly to the literature on what is an extremely complicated and dangerous conflict.
8 people found this helpful
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Eric Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books to Read on Russia and Its Politics
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2021
I kept two books from my undergrad, this is one of them. It is hard to describe how well written this books is. Anyone that wants to learn about Russia, and how it views the world this book is highly enlightening. I have recommended this book on multiple occasions
One person found this helpful
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Shrink Washington
3.0 out of 5 stars Information we have no comprehension of in the west
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2017
Since the end of the USSR the US has been instrumental in antagonizing the former Soviet Union. We started by encouraging the NATO incursion against Serbia and continued with the threat of NATO expansion of the former republics of Ukraine and Georgia. It never occurred to our policy makers that Russia considers these republics to be important buffers to foreign invasion. A case can be made that Ukraine prevented both Napoleon and Hitler from conquering Russia. The author provides the reader with a glimpse into the Russian geopolitical view of their version of the Monroe doctrine. Western and NATO meddling in former republics is a major source of friction between the US and Russia today.

I gave the book a mediocre evaluation for three reasons; it was hard for me to get through it and I perservered only because I was being jolted into a new geopolitical viewpoint. Second, I found the author's partisanship to be a turn off. He ridiculed Reagan as a buffoon yet I remember him as the he POTUS who singe handedly won the Cold war. Clinton was praised for attacking the Serbs. The author rightfully mocks GW Bush for being a buffoon but praises BH Obama as the greatest statesman of our time. He then concludes by mocking Trump because of Trumps argument that countries should have borders. I would have appreciated a more non partison assessment because there truly is something to be learned if one can struggle through to the end.
7 people found this helpful
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Gderf
5.0 out of 5 stars Russia, Putin and revanchism
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2017
Putin tries to protect interests of ethic Russians and support client states against larger states in the Russian 'near abroad' as he tries to recapture a measure of Russian influence in the regions of the old Soviet empire. Toal shows the effects of Russian fear of NATO expansion. The book is well written with detailed research on Putin's relationships with Shevardnadze, Saakashvile in Georgia, Yanukovich,
Timoshenko others in the Ukraine, and on the Orange and Rose revolutions. There is very detailed coverage of causes of the war in Ossetia in 2008 and the Crimean invasion. Contrary to the official US viewpoint of McCain, Kagan, Bush, Obama and others, Toal shows how Saakashvili started the war with Russian reaction to support its client state of Ossetaia. The idea that the Bush and Obama administrations were spreading democracy is a sham.
A little more map detail, a caste of characters, a chronology and a glossary would be appreciated
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

william4
5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to understand the Russian invasion of Ukraine - start here.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
Geopolitics is a niche subject. There not a lot on the web, and very little about Russia and its neighbours. This book is an academic text with a coherent narrative of how geopolitical identity develops both inside a country - specifically Russia, Georgia, Ukraine as opposed to outside - USA, EU, NATO etc...It sets out to critique the widely held simplistic views and offers a more comprehensive and in-depth analysis of attitudes and behaviours, power plays and economics in this most complex of areas. As I progressed through it I developed a much better understanding of why the current (today is March 1st 2022) crises arose. Given that the ideas here were written in 2017, the Conclusion Section (pp297-302) is an amazingly accurate analysis/prediction of what is ongoing in 2022. Despite the current high levels of emotion and anger to the suffering, this crises was a long time in the making and almost entirely predictable. This book explains why. Well worth a read.
3 people found this helpful
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BWL
5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Book
Reviewed in Canada on February 24, 2017
Verified Purchase
I have read numerous books on Vladimir Putin and his intervention in Ukraine and Gerard Toal’s ”Near Abroad’’ is one of the best. His approach is multi-disciplinary, and deconstructs both the cultural and geographical aspects of geo-politics. He calls it ‘’affective geo-politics.’’ The result is one the deepest and most sustained analysis that I have read, of both Western and Russian positions on the events in Crimea and the Donbass. It underlines that the irrational is in the forefront on both sides and that nobody looks very good. Certainly, no one is blameless.

I would suggest that this book be read along with Angela Stent’s ‘’The Limits of Partnership,’’, BoBo Lo’s ‘’Russia And The New World Disorder,’’ and Dimitri Trenin’s new ‘’Should We Fear Russia.”

In spite of their excellent analysis, I feel both Toal and Trenin come up short in defining what are The West’s, Russia’s, and Ukraine’s true interests. BoBo Lo does defines those interests, and Angela Stent, in turn, makes clear that this conflict was almost inevitable, as both side’s geo-political and ideological interests are almost diametrically opposed.

In all, an excellent book that adds greatly to the literature on what is an extremely complicated and dangerous conflict.
One person found this helpful
 Report
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