New States, New Politics
Building the Post-Soviet Nations

This 1997 book is an analysis of the nation- and state-building processes of fifteen states that grew out of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Ian Bremmer (Edited by), Ray Taras (Edited by)

9780521577991, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 28 December 1996

796 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 4.5 cm, 1.15 kg

'… goes where no other book has yet dared to go.' Jennifer Rossa The Moscow Tribune

Since its publication in 1993, Nations and Politics in the Soviet Successor-States edited by Ian Bremmer and Ray Taras has established itself internationally as the genuinely comprehensive, systematic and rigorous analysis of the nation- and state-building processes of the fifteen states that grew out of the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. New States, New Politics: Building the Post-Soviet Nations was first published in 1997 and succeeds and replaces the editors' earlier book with a fresh collection of specially commissioned studies from the world's foremost specialists. Far from eradicating tensions among the former Soviet peoples, the disintegration of empire saw national minorities rediscovering long-suppressed identities. The contributors to New States, New Politics bring together historical and ethnic backgrounds with penetrating political analysis to offer an intriguing record of the different roads to self-assertion and independence being pursued by these young nations.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Post-Soviet nationalities theory: past, present and future Ian Bremmer
Part II. Russia and its Nations: 2. Russia: confronting a loss of empire John Dunlop
3. The North Caucasus: confederation in conflict Jane Ormrod
4. The Middle Volga: exploring the limits of sovereignty Ronald Wixman
5. Siberia: assimilation and its discontents Gail Fondahl
Part III. The New Eastern Europe: 6. Ukraine: from empire to statehood Alexander Motyl and Bohdan Krawchenko
7. Belarus: from statehood to empire? Jan Zaprudnik and Michael Urban
8. Moldova: caught between nation and empire William Crowther
Part IV. The Baltics: 9. Lithuania: rights and responsibilities of independence Alfred Senn
10. Latvia: restoring a state, rebuilding a nation Nils Muznieks
11. Estonia: independence redefined Toivo Raun
Part V. The Transcaucasus: 12. Azerbaijan: searching for new neighbours Shireen Hunter
13. Armenia: paradise lost? Nora Dudwick
14. Georgia: the trauma of statehood Stephen Jones
Part VI. Central Asia: 15. Kazakhstan: pushing for Eurasia Martha Brill Olcott
16. Kyrgyzstan: storm clouds over the 'island of democracy' Eugene Huskey
17. Uzbekistan: breaking the back of democracy Gregory Gleason
18. Turkmenistan: just like the old times David Nissman
19. Tajikistan: reform, reaction, and civil war Muriel Atkin
Part VII. Conclusion: 20. From matrioshka nationalism to national interests Ray Taras.

Subject Areas: Political structures: democracy [JPHV]