History of International Relations and Russian foreign policy in the 20th century, volume I

How are future Russian international affairs scholars and professionals being trained? As well as an interesting lesson in the diversions between political narratives of Russia and the West, this question is of significant relevance to the future of Russia–West relations, and perhaps the contours of international relations throughout the twenty-first century. Crafted as a foundational text for students of International Relations, this edited work (split across two volumes) provides an in-depth analysis of critical moments in international affairs of the twentieth century. Uniquely, the contributors present a view of twentieth-century political history through a Russian lens. Spanning the period from 1914 to 1945, the first volume explores state–state engagement and discusses how states manoeuvred in the anarchical environment of the international system and worked to shape it to best serve their competing, contradicting and, at times, conflicting interests. Alexander Reviakin sets the scene with an assessment of international order at the end of the nineteenth century. He explores state expansion, continental equilibriums and the ‘race’ for a new world order in the lead-up to the outbreak of First World War. Nadezhda Kleimenova and Andrei Sidorov then paint the picture of the post-First World War transition and the creation of the Versailles system. They analyse Soviet Russia's foreign policy in this period and highlight overlapping state interests as well as clear fractures between the USSR and the United States and its allies. Studies of post-First World War international relations in the Asia–Pacific theatre often focus on US or western assessments of Soviet policy. Sidorov's chapter delves into Soviet strategy in the Far East and charts the rise and fall of the Washington system in the region. Kleimenova introduces a Russian conceptualization of International Relations and security concerns in Europe—all building blocks of tension within the Versailles system. The simmering tensions within Europe, as well as the suite of conference and treaty mechanisms instigated to avoid conflict, are also explored in terms of their role in the collapse of the Versailles system itself

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