War in the Borderland - (Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European Politics) by Paolo Pizzolo (Hardcover)

About the Book

War in the Borderland: Four Ways to Interpret the Conflict in Ukraine examines the reasons why the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out, highlighting four possible interpretations.

Book Synopsis

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine represents for Putin what the crossing of the Rubicon represented for Julius Caesar in 49 BC. After making this decision, Moscow can never go back. With this critical choice, one of the most significant since the end of World War II, Russia has decided to accelerate the course of history. In its attack against Ukraine, Putin's Russia confirmed its role as a revisionist power and challenger of the international order, deciding to operate outside the rules set in the post-1945 and post-1991 world system. The arrival point of the historic process will have two possible consequences for the international system: either the confirmation of the hegemonic role of the US-led West or the advent of a centrifugal multipolar world. War in the Borderland: Four Ways to Interpret the Conflict in Ukraine examines the reasons why the Russian-Ukrainian war broke out, highlighting four possible interpretations. Specifically, by examining the domains of geopolitics, geostrategy, geoeconomics, and ideology, the book aims to determine how these variables played an important role in the outbreak of this gruesome conflict.

Review Quotes

"The main insight of Pizzolo's book lies in its offering of four historically and theoretically informed interpretations of Russia's war in Ukraine, interpretations that coincide with Russian standpoints on this brutal war, as well as in its elaboration of six scenarios for a 'post-war territorial organization' of Ukraine." --Adrian Brisku, Charles University, Prague, and Ilia State University, Tbilisi

"Paolo Pizzolo's book shows how soft and hard power shape the complexities of Putin's Russia. He interprets the present war and the clash of civilizations to get to the deep meanings of this war- not only a struggle for territory, but a fight for historical destiny." --Andrea Carteny, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

About the Author

Paolo Pizzolo is assistant professor and post-doctoral research fellow at the Centre for International Studies and Development (CISAD) of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.