Read more
Examining Russia-EU relations in terms of the forms and types of power tools they use, this book argues that the main source of tensions lies in deep differences in their preferences for the international status quo; the nature of the Russian state explains its routine use of coercion, while as a weak federal union, the EU is 'doomed' to use tools based on authority.
List of contents
Introduction: And Yet Another Book
1. Forms of Power in International Relations
2. State-Building in Russia and the Choice for Coercion in External Relations
3. Multilevel Arrangements in EU External Relations: Stimulating Authority, Constraining Coercion
4. Russia and the EU: From Failed Authority to Mutual Coercion
5. Russia and the EU: No Winners in the Common Neighborhood
6. Belarus: Strangulation in a Fraternal Embrace
7. Georgia: The Story of One Coercion and Two Authorities
8. Ukraine: The "Battlefield"
9. Turkey: Not-so-terrible Coercion, Not-so-needed Authority
Conclusion. Russia's "Coercive Attractiveness" and the EU's "Global Mission" in Maintaining Authority Relations
About the author
Irina Busygina is Professor of Politics at the National Research University "Higher School of Economics" in St. Petersburg. She was previously Professor of Comparative Politics at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and European Studies Institute at MGIMO. She also heads the Centre for Regional Political Studies at MGIMO. Her main spheres of research include EU–Russia relations, regional development and regional policy in Russia and the EU (comparatively) and also federalism in the EU and Russia. Over the last several years she has conducted extensive research—both individually and with co-authors—connecting challenges of globalization for the Russian domestic and foreign policies with the need for political modernization. Her most recent book is Political Modernization of the State in Russia, published in 2012 by Liberal Mission Foundation (in Russian, with Mikhail Filippov).
Summary
Examining Russia-EU relations in terms of the forms and types of power tools they use, this book argues that the main source of tensions lies in deep differences in their preferences for the international status quo; the nature of the Russian state explains its routine use of coercion, while as a weak federal union, the EU is ‘doomed’ to use tools based on authority.
Additional text
"This book by Irina Busygina offers a broad comparative analysis of controversial and less than consistent policies pursued by Moscow and Brussels towards the ‘grey zone’ between them. Using the contraposition of coercion and authority, the author offers compelling conclusions about the roots and the dynamics of the current Russia – EU crisis. A balanced, highly readable volume which should be a reference book for policymakers and scholars on both sides of the European divide." Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC)
"Irina Busygina is one of the most thoughtful Russian experts on EU–Russia relations. In her new book, she takes up the challenging task of sorting out the once promising, but by now woefully broken relationship. Irina, however, is looking beyond the current alienation. She urges both sides to learn from their failure in order to build more viable ties going forward." Dmitri Trenin, Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center
"In her new book, Irina Busygina offers an elegant, theoretically informed analysis of EU–Russia relations that is much needed for grasping the nature of the present confrontation. Looking at their interaction as well as their policies in the 'common neighbourhood' from the perspective of different forms of power, Busygina sheds light on both similarities and differences in their strategies. Her insights are sobering: while coercion can work in the short-term, the EU’s mode of existence is better suited to build more stable authority relations although this has proven to be complicated in the time of crisis." Tuomas Forsberg, Professor of International Politics at the University of Tampere, Finland
"Russia-EU relations and the Common Neighborhood is a stimulating, highly readable, and information-rich, up-to-date introduction to Russia-EU relations and their impact on countries located in what Busygina refers to as the common neighborhood. It should be a go-to book for those who need an overview of and a reference guide to a vast empirical and theoretical literature." Jakob Tolstrup, Aarhus University, Denmark
