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 / softback, 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]