Russia, China and the West in the Post-Cold War Era

❝An exceptionally well-informed, balanced and perceptive analysis of the origins and course of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Essential reading.❞ 

— Richard Sakwa, Emeritus Professor of Russian and European Politics, University of Kent, UK 

❝As war rages in Ukraine yet the prospect of a world after Putin becomes more thinkable, this is an essential moment to examine the way naive assumptions about the triumph of liberalism after the Cold War led to renewed confrontation. This book unpicks the power but also the limits of liberal hegemony, and makes a clear-eyed pitch for a more pragmatic approach in the future.❞ 

— Prof. Mark Galeotti, author of 'Putin's Wars: from Chechnya to Ukraine'

This book analyzes international affairs in the post-Cold War era by taking a special look at identity, norms and interests and the limits of liberal normative universalism. The book assesses the causes of the deterioration ofRussian – Western relations, the management of the liberal international order, the challenges liberal democracies face today, the rise of China and its consequences on global governance, and the war in Ukraine as an outcome of the dynamics described throughout the book. China and Russia represent different normative frameworks, have their own national interests, have increased their relative strength and influence and represent alternative economic and diplomatic partners for the Global South. Meanwhile, rising populist sentiment in western liberal democracies reflects important dissatisfaction with establishment policies. This research is particularly important for crafting creative solutions to the dynamic changes of the 21st century and the rise of nonwestern powers with different identities, interests and norms.
Suzanne Loftus is Research Fellow in the Russia/Eurasia program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Her publications include “Legitimacy and Societal Consent under Putin’s Leadership: State Capacity and National Identity,” in Russian Politics, and her book, Insecurity and the Rise of Nationalism in Putin’s Russia (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018).