The historical record seen through Offensive Realism presents evidence illustrating that the United States' approach toward the Caspian Sea region between 1991 and 2001 was governed by idealistic principles rather than balance of power considerations. That was led by the false notion that democratic Russia would act in accordance with US goals. The United States denied the competitive nature of international politics, refusing to criticise abuses by Moscow in the region, and failing to intervene when US interests were marginalised. The US failed to prevent Russia from refashioning conditions conducive to the re-absorption of the Caucasus and Central Asia as a sphere of influence; nor did it account for China’s expanded role and trajectory as a challenge to US power. This analysis shows, for example, that Russia’s proximity and willingness to use force exceeded the capabilities of the US’ use of its global predominance to shape regional events.

Published in association with the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

This book explained the position, behavior, and role of the Small Powers (states) in the international system since Westphalia Treaty via historical prospect. By analyzing European Small Powers, there have been attempting to generalize and optimize within the theoretical framework possible ways for foreign policy activities of the former Soviet Union republics on the examples of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. This book is the first attempt to explain former Soviet states foreign policy as Small Power theoretically and to propose the most possible optimal behavior for them.

The future of Europe's east is open. Can the societies of this vast region become more democratic and secure and integrate into the European mainstream? Or are they destined to become failed, fractured lands of grey mired in the stagnation and turbulence historically characteristic of Europe's borderlands? How and why is Russia seeking to influence these developments, and what is the future of Russia itself? How should the West engage?

Recent political developments in post-Soviet countries have raised novel issues regarding the stability of the post-Cold War world order. A new direction in policy has been exemplified by the recent bolstering of a number of post-Soviet political and economic institutions - such as CSTO, SCO and the Eurasian Economic Union - in which the role of Kazakhstan is considerable. In addition to its unique geopolitical location, Kazakhstan’s importance in regional integration structures and international relations more broadly is reinforced by its rich oil and uranium deposits. This book centres on an exploration of the changing relations between Russia and Kazakhstan and their impact on post-Soviet interactions with the rest of the world. The role of specific factors in the formation of the post-Soviet regional system will be explored in historical perspective. The multifaceted relations between Kazakhstan and Russia from 1991 to the contemporary period will be analysed in terms of relations in several spheres: political, military and security, Kazakhstan’s nuclear withdrawal, ethnicity and national identity, economic, foreign policies, regionalism and international trends and the impact of historic trends. An important analysis of Kazakhstan, the second largest country in the post-Soviet world, this book is of interest to researchers of International Relations, Post-Soviet Studies and Central Asia Studies.

This is the ultimate guide to international maritime boundaries. Its unique practical features include - systematic examination of all international maritime boundaries worldwide; - comprehensive coverage, including the text of every modern boundary agreement; - descriptions of judicially-established boundaries; - maps and detailed analyses of those boundaries; - expert papers examining the status of maritime boundary delimitations in each of the ten regions of the world; - papers from a global perspective analyzing key issues in maritime boundary theory and practice; and - a cumulative index for volumes I - V. These features make "International Maritime Boundaries" an unmatched comprehensive, accessible resource in the field.