Russian-American Relations in the Post-Cold War World

James W. Peterson is Professor Emeritus in Political Science and Head of the Department of Political Science at Valdosta State University, USA

• Introduction: from Cold War to Crimea: a bumpy road1 Theoretical approaches: models of power, systems theory, critical junctures, legacies, realism, and realism revised 2 Cold War root of post-Cold War tension: duality of détente in the 1970s and neo-Cold War in the 1980s 3 Imbalance of power in 1991: collapse of the Soviet Union and allied victory in the Persian Gulf War4 Making different choices in the Balkan Wars of the 1990s: Bosnia in 1992–5 and Kosovo in 19995 Admission of twelve former-communist states and republics into NATO and the bitter Russian reaction, 1999–20096 Russia and America confront terrorism, 1994–2004: a foundation of understanding7 Wars in Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003), and Georgia (2008): a mixed set of perceptions8 Missile shield proposal by the US in 2007–9 and the Arab Spring of 2011: contrasting priorities9 America and Russia pivot towards Asia: political differences yield to economic rivalry10 Ukrainian Crisis to the center of the stage in 2014 and after: a game-changing earthquake in the relationshipConclusion: theoretical approaches and a path from Crimea to stabilityPostscript: two eaglesIndex

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