Life and Work in Post-Soviet Russia

Life and Work in Post-Soviet Russia revolves around the professional and personal experience of living and working in Moscow of a Singapore diplomat, beginning in the aftermath of the USSR's collapse and ending in the first decade-and-a-half of this century.The book seeks to provide readers with glimpses of life in Moscow and Russia in the mid-1990s, as well as in the early years of this century. It deals with not only the sociopolitical and economic challenges of Russia's post-Soviet leaders, but also those facing the man-in-the-street. That the man-in-the-street had to personally bear the brunt of the momentous changes in post-Soviet Russia's rush to reforms is made plain in the book, and not so much the trials and tribulations of his leaders.Life and Work in Post-Soviet Russia also looks to broaden the outlook of Singaporeans, in the first instance, and non-Russians, in general, about Russia, a country which has been portrayed in a negative light by most of the Anglo-Saxon and Western media.This book also gives readers some insight into Singapore's relations with Russia, deals with issues from a personal standpoint without any attempt to inject political science theories into its analyses, and concludes with some thoughts on its future role in the world.Contents: ForewordPrefaceAcknowledgementsInitial Impressions of RussiaMoscow Becomes More FamiliarLife as a Diplomat in the Yeltsinite EraIssues of Professional InterestRussia Becomes Less of an EnigmaLife and Work in the Putinite EraTravels Across A Vast LandThe Curtain Falls: My Final Assignment (2006–2013)Perspectives of Contemporaries in MoscowEncounters With PersonalitiesSingapore's Relations With RussiaRussia's Significance to SingaporeSome Final Thoughts on Russia
Readership: This book will be of interest to a student and academic whose interest revolves around Russia, not only in Singapore but in our region and in the West. Specifically, a researcher, post-graduate as well as undergraduate students in Singapore whose interest covers post-Soviet and modern Russia can also use the book's data to form a picture of post-Soviet Russia and Singapore's relations with it.Singapore;Russia;International Relations;Diplomacy;Putin;Singapore–Russia Relations;Yeltsin;Moscow0Key Features:The book is written by a Singaporean diplomat with extensive experience of and knowledge on RussiaThe book provides insights and analyses on Russia from the Asian perspective, in a sea of literature dominated by Western and American perspectives