Democratic Breakdown and the Decline of the Russian Military (Hardcover)

by Zoltan Barany (Author)
Key Phrases: radical defense reform, institutional decay, contract soldiers, Defense Ministry, General Staff, Ministry of Defense (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Barany concludes his study with observations on the implications of this development, but his main contribution is making the analytical link between the political and military factors in Russia.
(R.P. Peters Choice )

If you have time to read only a 20-page text to understand fundamentally what the Russian state is today, you could do little better than to read Barany's chapter on the Kursk tragedy. . . . Barany's main objective--explaining why Russia has an obsolete and incoherent military doctrine and an unreformed military shockingly unprepared for contemporary security challenges--is very well done.
(Celeste A. Wallander Political Science Quarterly )

Zoltan Barany's interesting and comprehensive book attempts to explain why substantial military reform has eluded Russia by analyzing the evolution of civil-military relations in post-Communist Russia, the political role of the military and the institutional arrangements for civilian control over the armed forces.
(Survival )

[Democratic Breakdown and the Decline of the Russian Military] is a significant piece which ought to appeal to Russia watchers both within and beyond academia. . . . Admirably concise yet richly detailed. . . . The book is a valuable synthesis of a range of sources on a subject which has received little attention of late.
(David J. Betz The Russian Review )

[O]ne should read this book for its well-informed reporting of events and institutional developments.
(William E. Odom Slavic Review )

Review
The collapse of the Red Army was one of the most spectacular in human history, and also one of the most mysterious. Neither Soviet nor Russian armed forces suffered catastrophic losses on the battlefield, while Russian soldiers became more involved, not less, in politics in post-Soviet Russia. Through a sophisticated application of institutional theory to a rich collection of data, Zoltan Barany unravels this mystery in a compelling and masterful way. This book will become a classic on Russian civil-military relations, while also adding much to our understanding of Russian politics more generally.
(Michael McFaul, Stanford University )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (July 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691128960
• ISBN-13: 978-0691128962
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #673,061 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)