From Moscow, the world looks different. It is through understanding how Russia sees the world and its place in it that the West can best meet the Russian challenge.Russia and the West are like neighbors who never seem able to understand each other. A major reason, this book argues, is that Western leaders tend to think that Russia should act as a "rational" Western nation even though Russian leaders for centuries have thought and acted based on their country's much different history and traditions. Russia, through Western eyes, is unpredictable and irrational, when in fact its leaders from the czars to Putin almost always act in their own very predictable and rational ways. For Western leaders to try to engage with Russia without attempting to understand how Russians look at the world is a recipe for repeated disappointment and frequent crises. Keir Giles, a senior expert on Russia at Britain's prestigious Chatham House, describes how Russian leaders have used consistent doctrinal and strategic approaches to the rest of the world. These approaches may seem deeply alien in the West, but understanding them is essential for successful engagement with Moscow. Giles argues that understanding how Moscow's leaders think not just Vladimir Putin but his predecessors and eventual successors will help their counterparts in the West develop a less crisis-prone and more productive relationship with Russia.
Keir Giles is a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs. He also works with the Conflict Studies Research Centre (CSRC), a group of subject matter experts in Eurasian security with a particular focus on the wide range of security challenges coming from Russia.
Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Russia's Place in the World 1. A World Apart 2. Great Power and Empire 3. Russia under Threat 4. Winning the Cold War Part II: Russia's Internal System 5. Ruling Russia 6. The Individual and the State Part III: Russia's Inheritance 7. Russia's Moral Framework 8. History Matters Part IV: Prospects for Change 9. Opposition, Protests, and Discontent 10. Change from Within Conclusion: The Way Forward Notes Index
A more comprehensive demolition of western naivety comes from Keir Giles's Moscow Rules... Giles's book is concise, lucidly argued and minutely researched. It would serve as an excellent primer on East-West security..."- The Times; "My only regret is that I did not have this book 35 years ago"- Former President of Estonia Toomas Ilves; "Should be required reading for all who deal with Western policy towards Russia"- Former British Ambassador to Moscow Roderic Lyne; "A compelling, well-documented argument for honest acceptance of differences between the West and Russia - and for a policy of firm deterrence"- Evelyn N. Farkas, senior fellow, Atlantic Council; "Keir Giles has done us all a great service in writing this book"- Lt-Gen (Rtd) Ben Hodges, Commander, United States Army Europe 2014-2017
