Dealing with the Russians

How to handle Russia? This question has become ever more prominent as the Euro-Atlantic community’s relations with Russia languish in systemic crisis, with dialogue suspended, reciprocal sanctions in place and proxy wars raging. The wars in Ukraine and Syria, accusations of Russian interference in domestic politics and the attempted murder of the Skripals on UK soil have all contributed to soaring tension in the relationship.

Yet faced with this array of serious challenges, Euro-Atlantic thinking about Russia remains stuck in twentieth-century rhetoric, trapped by misleading abstract labels and unsure whether to engage Moscow in dialogue or enhance deterrence and collective defence. Instead of thinking in these terms, leading Russia expert Andrew Monaghan argues that we must devise a new grand strategy for dealing with the Russians. Examining the ongoing Euro-Atlantic debate over Russia and framing Moscow’s own position towards the West, he sets out the foundations of a forward-looking strategy; one that can accommodate the many complex challenges presented by this new era of competition between Russia, Europe and the United States.

Preface and Acknowledgements

The ‘Decline of the West’ – and the Emergence of a Russian Challenge

Acknowledgements

Notes

1: The Predicament

Russia's Emergence as a Peer Challenger

The Dual Dilemma

The Book's Argument

Notes

2: (Mis)interpreting the Russian Threat

Returning to Cold War Relations?

The Abstraction of the Russian Threat

Recalibrating the Russian Threat and the Need to Refresh Thinking

Notes

3: From Dialogue to Deterrence

‘Not Back to Business as Usual’

The Shift to Deterrence

Deterrence or Reassurance?

What is Deterrence?

The Challenges of Dialogue and Deterrence

Notes

4: Dealing with the Russians: Pillars of a Twenty-First-Century Strategy

From the ‘New Cold War’ Trap to Strategy-Making in a Post-Iraq War World

The Need for Grand Strategy for the New Era

Towards a Strategy?

The Fifth Pillar: Challenging Groupthink

The Sixth Pillar: Russia in the Wider and Longer-Term Context

Notes

Index

“A brilliant and hugely enjoyable book. Cogent, well researched and cleverly argued, Monaghan’s illuminating analysis serves as a timely reminder of the dangers of misunderstanding Russia and an “antidote” to Russian stereotypes that prevail in the West.”
Nazrin Mehdiyeva, St Antony's College, Oxford

‘An aggressive, revanchist Russia and the return of great-power competition make this book required reading. Monaghan’s extensive knowledge of Russian history, politics, language and culture gives him insights that are crucial to understanding Russia and finding a way back to some sort of normal relationship between Russia and the West.’
Lieutenant General (Retired) Ben Hodges, Center for European Policy Analysis

‘Dealing with the Russians provides a fresh, informed and rational approach to solving the problems that arise when nations attempt to deal strategically with the Russian Federation. It will be essential reading for those who prefer to master history rather than fall victim to it.’
David M. Glantz, Carlisle, PA

‘Refreshingly concise. Andrew Monaghan takes a wider approach, analysing Russia’s strengths and weaknesses, its self-image, its perceptions and misperceptions of us, ditto ours of it.’
The Spectator

"Excellent"
IRRUSSIANALITY

‘insightful and disturbing’
Times Literary Supplement

"Dealing with the Russians presents a detailed and ground-breaking analysis of the current state of Euro-Atlantic interaction with Russia and provides convincing arguments for the need to restructure it."
Europe-Asia Studies

"Dealing with the Russians is a captivating narration of critical events that have shaped the Russia‐Western relationship in recent years."
Journal of Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society

Andrew Monaghan is Director of Research on Russia and Northern European Defence and Security, The Changing Character of War Centre, Pembroke College, University of Oxford.