Russia in World Affairs

YORK UNIVERSITY

Department of Politics

AP/POLS 4280.06A

RUSSIA IN WORLD AFFAIRS

Fall/Winter 2017

Tuesdays, 14:30-17:20

Instructor: Sergei Plekhanov

Office: 701Kaneff Tower, phone: (416) 736-2100, ext.46013

Email: , website:

Office hours: Wednesday, 15:00 -17:00, and by appointment

Russia is the world’s largest state with a unique identity and a wide range of regional and global interests. Russia’s relations with the outside world have unfolded primarily in the regions around it: East-Central Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East (including Transcaucasia), Central Asia, and the Far East. This breadth of regional interests made Russia a major world power by the 19th century. In the 20th century, communist ideology and nuclear weapons added major new dimensions to Russia’s global role, making it one of the two superpowers. After the fall of Soviet communism, Russia’s world role has changed under the impact of multiple factors, domestic and international.

This course consists of two parts. Part One deals with the historical context: a brief review of the history of the Russian Empire, followed by a study of the roles the Soviet Union played in world affairs in 1917-1991. It focuses on the formation of the Soviet Union as a result of the Russian revolution of 1917, the evolution of Soviet foreign policy under successive leaderships from Lenin to Gorbachev, as the USSR turned from a revolutionary state into a status-quo power locked in a protracted global conflict with the West, and on the radical changes in Soviet foreign policy enacted under Mikhail Gorbachev. Part Twofocuses on the international relations of post-SovietRussia as the main successor state of the USSR. It examines the impact of Russia’s transition crisis of the 1990s on the country’s status and role in the post-Cold War world; the resurgence of Russia as a great power since 2000; the transformation ofits relations with the other new independent states of Eurasia, the United States, Europe, the Moslem world, and China.

Course requirements:

Fall Term:

Class presentation or a short essay (8 pp.) - 10%

Research paper(12-15 pp.) - 30%

Participation - 10%

Winter Term:

Class presentation or a short essay(8 pp.) - 10%

Research paper (12-15 pp.) - 30%

Participation - 10%

Each student is expected to choose topics for the two research papers. Please see lists of suggested topics at the end of the syllabus. The deadline for submitting Fall Term papersis November 28. The deadline for submitting Winter Term papers isApril 3.

Please see the list of required readings below. The syllabus also includes a list of relevant websites. Also, the course website (

contains a select bibliography on Soviet and post-Soviet international relations, designed to help the students find the additional readings for written and oral assignments.

The Post-Communist Studies Collection located at the Resource Centre on the 6th floor of York Research Tower contains over 1,000 books (most in Russian) available for your research.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Sept.12:

INTRODUCTION

PART ONE. THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SOVIET UNION

Sept.19 and 26:

RUSSIA IN EURASIA. The challenges of security and development in the Eurasian Heartland. Russia’s special place between East and West. Russia’s three frontiers. The expansion and containment of the Russian Empire, 1700-1917.

Required readings:

-Donaldson and Nogee:The Foreign Policy of Russia, Parts 1 and 2

-Trenin: The End of Eurasia. Introduction and Chapter 1: The Spatial Dimension of Russian History –

Additional readings:

- Friedman, George. The Geopolitics of Russia. Stratfor, 2008 -
-“History of Russia”. Geographia.com -

-“Russia Engages the World: 1453-1825”. A multimedia exhibit at the New York Public Library.

Oct. 3 and 10:

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION AND ITS INTERNATIONAL CONSEQUENCES. The impact of World War I on the Russian state and society. An anti-imperialist revolution. The Soviet Union as a new type of international actor. The Soviet dilemma: promoting world revolution or “building socialism in one country”?

Topics for class reports:

The 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk between Soviet Russia and Central Powers.

The Communist International as a tool of “world revolution”.

Required readings:

-Donaldson and Nogee: The Foreign Policy of Russia, Chapter 3

-“The Decree on Peace, November 1917” -

-“The Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, March 3, 1918” -

-Jacobson, Jon. When the Soviet Union Entered World Politics. University of California Press, 1994. Introduction, Chapter 1: The Ideological and Political Foundations of Soviet Foreign Policy, Chapter 2: Internationalizing the October Revolution-

Additional readings:

-Nation: Black Earth, Red Star, Chapters 1-3 (3)

-Dennis, Alfred. The Foreign Policies of Soviet Russia. New York, Dutton, 1924 – eResources, Scott Library

Oct.17and 24:

THE SOVIET UNION BEFORE AND IN WORLD WAR II. The rise of fascism and Stalinism. The Soviet Union’s role in the international antifascist campaigns of the 1930s. Stalin's geopolitical gamble before World War II.Germany’s attack on the USSR: a turning point in World War II. The Soviet Union in the Grand Alliance. The impact of World War II on the Soviet state and its world role.

Topics for class reports:

The Spanish Civil War of 1936-39.

The Yalta and Potsdam conferences of 1945.

Required readings:

-Donaldson and Nogee: Chapter 3

-Roberts, Geoffrey. Stalin’s Wars: From World War to Cold War, 1939-1953. Yale University Press, 2006. Chapter 1. Introduction: Stalin at War.-

-“The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, 1939” -

-“Modern History Sourcebook: The Yalta Conference, Feb. 1945” -

Additional readings:

-Roberts, Geoffrey. Stalin’s Wars, Chapter 2, Unholy Alliance: Stalin and Hitler, Chapter 3, Grand Illusions: Stalin and 22 June 1941 -

-Wettig, Gerhard. Stalin and the Cold War in Europe: The Emergence and Development of East-West Conflict, 1939-1953. Rowman and Littlefield, 2008. Chapter 2, Prelude to Postwar East-West Conflict –

Oct. 31 and Nov.7:

THE FORMATION OF THE COLD WAR ORDER. Stalin's goals in the Cold War. Evolution of the American policy of containment. The Cold War in Europe and Asia, 1946-1953.

Topics for class reports:

The USSR and the Communist Threat after 1945.

The German Question as a factor in the unfolding of the Cold War.

Required readings:

-Donaldson and Nogee: Chapter 4

-Leffler: ChaptersI and II

-George Kennan’s Long Telegram, February 1946 -

Additional readings:

-Roberts, Geoffrey. The Soviet Union in World Politics, Routledge, 1999, Chapters 1,2

eResources, Scott Library

-Zubok, Vladislav and Konstantin Pleshakov: Inside the Kremlin’s Cold War, Harvard University Press, 1996. Prologue, Chapters 1-4

eResources, Scott Library

-Mastny, Voitech: The Cold War and Soviet Insecurity, Oxford University Press, 1996 eResources, Scott Library

Nov.14 and 21:

THE ARMS RACE AND PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE. Changes in Soviet foreign policy after Stalin's death. Contradictions in Khrushchev's foreign policy. The space race. Soviet activism in the Third World. The Cuban Missile Crisis and the start of nuclear arms control.

Topics for class reports:

The logic of the Cold War arms race.

The role of Cuba in Soviet foreign policy.

Required readings:

-Donaldson and Nogee:The Foreign Policy of Russia, Chapter 4

-Leffler: Chapter III

Additional readings:

-Roberts, Geoffrey. The Soviet Union in World Politics, Chapter 3

eResources, Scott Library

-Zubok and Pleshakov: Inside the Kremlin’s Cold War, Chapters 6-8

eResources, Scott Library

-Harrison, Hope. Driving the Soviets up the Wall: Soviet-East German Relations, 1953-61. Princeton University Press, 2003 -

Nov. 28:

THE RISE AND FALL OF DETENTE. The war in Vietnam and the decline of American hegemony. Consolidation of US-Soviet strategic parity. Conservative retrenchment in Moscow and Washington. The China factor. Why détente unraveled. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

Topic for class report:

The China factor in the Cold War.

Required readings:

-Donaldson and Nogee:Chapter 4

-Leffler: Chapter IV

Additional reading:

-Roberts, Geoffrey. The Soviet Union in World Politics, Chapter 3

eResources, Scott Library

-Suri, Jeremi. Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Détente. Harvard University Press, 2005 –

PART TWO. POST-SOVIET RUSSIA IN A POST-COLD WAR WORLD

Jan. 9 and 16:

THE END OF THE COLD WAR AND THE DISSOLUTION OF THE USSR. The Reagan challenge. The goals of Gorbachev's reforms in Soviet foreign policy. New Political Thinking. Gorbachev's campaign for disarmament. The Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. The fall of Communist regimes in Eastern Europe. The dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Topic for class report:

Gorbachev and the re-unification of Germany.

Required readings:

-Donaldson and Nogee: Chapter 4

-Leffler: Chapter V

Additional readings:

The Cambridge History of the Cold War. Volume 3: Endings, ed. by Melvyn P. Leffler and Odd Arne Westad. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010, Chapters:

2. The World Economy and the Cold War, by Giovanni Arrighi

12. The Gorbachev Revolution and the End of the Cold War, by Archie Brown

13. US Foreign Policy under Reagan and Bush, by Beth A. Fischer

15. The East European Revolutions of 1989, by Jacques Levesque -

eResources, York Library

Jan. 23 and 30:

RUSSIA AFTER THE USSR. The international consequences of the dissolution of the USSR. Russia’s transition crisis and its impact on Russian foreign policy. Continuity and change between the Soviet and post-Soviet periods. Interest groups and institutions involved in the making of Russian foreign policy. The Putin Presidency and Russia’s relative resurgence.

Topics for class reports:

Evolution of Russia’s foreign policy and security doctrines, 1992 - 2017.

Foreign policy assets of post-communist Russia.

Required readings:

- Lavrov, Sergei. Russia’s Foreign Policy: Historical Background. Russia in Global Affairs, March 3, 2016 -

-Donaldson and Nogee: Chapter 5

-Tsygankov: Chapters 1-4

-Gvosdev and Marsh: Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2

Additional readings:

-Lundestad, Geir (ed.). International Relations since the End of the Cold War: New and Old Dimensions. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013 –

e-Resources, York University

- “Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation,Approved by President of the Russian Federation V. Putin on November 30, 2016” - Moscow: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, 2013 –

- Nation, R. Craig and Dmitry Trenin. Russian Security Strategy under Putin: US and Russian Perspectives. Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College. Carlisle, 2007 –

-Russian President Vladimir Putin. The World Oder: New Rules or a Game without Rules? Valdai International Discussion Club XI session, Sochi, Russian Federation, October 24th, 2014

Feb. 6, 13 and 27:

RUSSIA AND THE WEST BETWEEN THE TWO COLD WARS. The Russian Federation's relations with the United States and Western Europe. The West’s role in Russia’s post-communist transformation. Problems of arms control and disarmament, 1991-2014. NATO and EU enlargement and Russia’s responses. The causes of Cold War 2.0.

Topics for class reports:

Russia’s dependence on the West and attempts to reduce it.

NATO’s eastern expansion.

The Ukrainian Crisis and its global impact.

Required readings:

-Donaldson and Nogee: Chapter 7

-Tsygankov: Chapters 3-6

-Gvosdev and Marsh: Chapters 3, 6 and 7

Additional readings:

-Trenin, Dmitry. NATO, Russia, and the Vision of a Euro-Atlantic Security Community. Carnegie Moscow Center, Mar. 30, 2012 -

-Ponarin, Eduard and Boris Sokolov. The Russian Elite’s View of Global Politics. A Survey of 1993-2012 Polls. Russia in Global Affairs, December 18, 2014. -

-Cohen, Stephen F. Failed Crusade: America and the Tragedy of Post-Communist Russia. W.W. Norton, 2001 (11)

-Brzezinski: The Grand Chessboard. (2)

Mar. 6 and 13:

RUSSIA’S RELATIONS WITH SOUTHERN NEIGHBOURS. The legacy of Russian imperialism, the impact of Soviet nation-building, and the challenges of independence. Bureaucrats, ethnocrats and plutocrats. NATO and Islam as Russia’s challengers. The new geopolitics and geoeconomics of the Caspian Sea.

Topics for class reports:

Ethnopolitical conflicts in the Caucasus after the Cold War.

Competition for access to Caspian energy resources.

Russia and radical Islamism.

Required readings:

-Gvosdev and Marsh, Chapters 5, 8 and 9

-Katz, Mark. Russia’s Greater Middle East Policies: Securing Economic Interests, Courting Islam. Russie.Nei.Visions No.49, April 2010 –

Additional readings:

-Nikolaev, Sergei. Central Asia in Geopolitics; the American Vector. International Affairs, No.2, 2011 -

-Cleveman: The New Great Game. (14)

-Croissant and Aras: Oil and Geopolitics in the Caspian Sea Region. (14)

Mar. 20 and 27:

RUSSIA IN THE EAST ASIAN CONTEXT. A century of Russia’s attempts to project power on the Pacific: defeats and successes. The new Russian vacuum in the Far East. The evolution of relations between Russia, China, Japan and the United States. The new Russia-China partnership: motives, problems and prospects.

Topics for class reports:

Prospects for normalization of Russo-Japanese relations.

Russia-China military cooperation.

Required readings:

-Donaldson and Nogee: The Foreign Policy of Russia, Chapter 8

-Gvosdev and Marsh: Chapter 4

Additional readings:

Apr.3:

RUSSIA IN THE ARCTIC. Russia’s Arctic legacy and interests. Economic consequences of Arctic warming: the opening of access to the ocean’s energy resources and of new maritime transportation routes. The ecological challenges. Potential for conflict and avenues of cooperation.

Topic for class report:

Canada and Russia in the Arctic: Rivals or partners?

Required readings:

-“The Emerging Arctic. A CFR InfoGuide Presentation”. New York: Council of Foreign Relations, 2014 -

-“Basics of the State Policy of the Russian Federation in the Arctic for the Period till 2020 and for a Further Perspective”. Moscow, Sept. 18, 2008 –

Additional readings:

-“Russian Policy Options in the Arctic”. Russian Analytical Digest, No.96, May 12, 2011

- Byers, Michael. It’s Time to Resolve Our Arctic Differences. Toronto Globe and Mail, August 23, 2011 -

- “Ecosystem-Based Management in the Arctic”. Report submitted to Senior Arctic Officials by the Expert Group on Ecosystem-Based Management, May 2013. Arctic Council, 2013 -
- “Handbook Exercise Arctic 2014”, Murmansk, June 23-24, 2014. Arctic Council, 2014 -

REQUIRED BOOKS

Donaldson, Robert H, and Joseph L. Nogee and Vidya Nadkarni. The Foreign Policy of Russia: Changing Systems, Enduring Interests. 5th edition. M.E.Sharpe, 2014

Leffler, Melvyn. For the Soul of Mankind: The United States, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War. Hill and Wang, 2008

Gvosdev, Nicholas and Christopher Marsh. Russian Foreign Policy: Interests, Vectors, and Sectors. CQ Press, 2013

Tsygankov, Andrei. Russia's Foreign Policy: Change and Continuity in National Identity. Rowman and Littlefield, 2010 – eResources, Scott Library

RECOMMENDED BOOKS

Bubnova, Natalia (ed.), 20 Years without the Berlin Wall. Moscow Carnegie Center, 2011 -

Roberts, Geoffrey K. The Soviet Union in World Politics : Coexistence, Revolution, and Cold War, 1945-1991. Routledge, 1999 – eResources, Scott Library

RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH

1.Journals (available onlinethrough eResources, York Library):

Journal of Cold War Studies

Europe-Asia Studies

Problems of Post-Communism

Communist and Post-Communist Studies

Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics

Security Index: A Russian Journal on International Security

Nationalities Papers

Slavic Review

Foreign Affairs

Foreign Policy

World Policy Journal

International Security

Orbis

The National Interest

Policy Review

Survival

2.Web Sources

Russian, in English

“Russia in Global Affairs” -
“Valdai Discussion Club” -
“Russian International Affairs Council” -

President of Russia, official website -

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs -

Russian Ministry of Defense -

“Russia Today” (24-hour TV news channel) -

“Sputnik” -

US and other Western, non-government

“Johnson’s Russia List”, Washington, DC -

The Program on New Approaches to Research and Security in Eurasia (PONARS Eurasia), Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES), Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University (GW) -

“Irrusianality”, blog by Prof. Paul Robinson, University of Ottawa -

“The Kremlin Stooge”, blog by Mark Nesop -

The National Security Archive, George Washington University, Washington, DC -

Cold War International History Project, Wilson Center, Washington, DC –

CFR Education, Council on Foreign Relations, New York -

Carnegie Moscow Center -

“Eurasia Net” -

“Inside Russia and Eurasia” -

“Eurasia Review” -

“InterPress Service” –

Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University -

US Government

“Russia”. US Department of State -

US Department of Defense -

US Embassy in Moscow -

3. Post-Communist Studies Book Collection, Resource Center, Room 624, York Research Tower

4.Select Bibliography – see the list on the course website

TOPICS FOR SHORT ESSAYS AND RESEARCH PAPERS

The Fall Term

Short essays

Motives and results of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War: 1918-1922.
Was the Brest-Litovsk Treaty a defeat for Soviet Russia?
The concept of “world revolution” in early Soviet foreign policy.
The Soviet-Polish war of 1920.
Soviet-Afghan relations during the reign of King Amanullah.
The international significance of the Rapallo Treaty between Russia and Germany (1922).
What impact did Soviet support of the German Communist Party have on relations between WeimarGermany and the USSR?
Soviet policies towards the Baltic states, 1918-1941.
Soviet-Japanese conflicts in the 1930s.
Diplomatic struggles over the opening of the Second Front against Nazi Germany.
What were the political aims of atomic bombardment of Japan in 1945?
George Kennan’s concept of containment and its implementation in the Truman Administration’s foreign policy.
The impact of the Korean War on international relations in the 1950s.
The Soviet concept of Peaceful Coexistence.
The Soviet role in the Vietnam War.
The anti-ballistic missile issue in arms control negotiations, 1960s – 1970s.
The SALT-II Treaty fiasco.
Gorbachev’s 1986 disarmament program: an exercise in utopianism?
Moscow, Washington, and the reunification of Germany: the diplomatic endgame.
The Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty and its legacy.

Research papers

1. How did the Russian Revolution affect Russia’s role in the international system? Which aspects of Russia’s international status changed with the transition to the communist regime - and which didn’t?