Democratic Breakdown and the Decline of the Russian Military

Description

Paints a portrait of Russian military politics. This book identifies three moments that gave rise to the Russian dilemma: Gorbachev's decision to invite military participation in Soviet politics; Yeltsin's acquiescence to a political system that gave generals a legitimate political presence; and, Putin's failure to press for military reforms.

Zoltan Barany is the Frank C. Erwin, Jr., Centennial Professor of Government at the University of Texas. He is the author of "The Future of NATO Expansion" (Cambridge, 2003) and "The East European Gypsies" (Cambridge, 2002).

"Barany concludes his study with observations on the implications of this development, but his main contribution is making the analytical link between the political and military factors in Russia."--R.P. Peters, Choice "If you have time to read only a 20-page text to understand fundamentally what the Russian state is today, you could do little better than to read Barany's chapter on the Kursk tragedy... Barany's main objective--explaining why Russia has an obsolete and incoherent military doctrine and an unreformed military shockingly unprepared for contemporary security challenges--is very well done."--Celeste A. Wallander, Political Science Quarterly "Zoltan Barany's interesting and comprehensive book attempts to explain why substantial military reform has eluded Russia by analyzing the evolution of civil-military relations in post-Communist Russia, the political role of the military and the institutional arrangements for civilian control over the armed forces."--Survival "[Democratic Breakdown and the Decline of the Russian Military] is a significant piece which ought to appeal to Russia watchers both within and beyond academia... Admirably concise yet richly detailed... The book is a valuable synthesis of a range of sources on a subject which has received little attention of late."--David J. Betz, Russian Review "[O]ne should read this book for its well-informed reporting of events and institutional developments."--William E. Odom, Slavic Review "[T]his book should be useful for anybody interested in the wider context of Russian studies and politics, as well as readers who are interested in International Relations security issues in general."--Fotis Mavromatidis, Journal of Contemporary European Studies "Among the many merits of this book is its clear, transparent, and economical style. Barany accomplishes what few in the profession have done. Namely, he is able to use sophisticated theoretical concepts from political science in ways that not only illuminate actual politics but which are readable and enhance the reader's understanding of the issues at stake."--Stephen J. Blank, Parameters "It is perhaps the ultimate compliment to suggest that Russia's greatest writer would very much have agreed with Barany's depiction of the Russian military--and that his approach is a superior one for understanding Russian military politics."--John P Moran, Perspectives on Politics