Warmonger - by Alex J Bellamy (Paperback)

About the Book

This book shows how Russia rebuilt itself after the 1990s, how it embraced Putinism and an imperial vision through a series of bloody conflicts.

Book Synopsis

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a war long in the making and is the latest in a series of military interventions that have showcased Vladimir Putin's deadly imperial ambitions and the ruthless and bloody strategies that serve his vision of a greater Russia. Putin's Russia wants its empire back and it has taken the events in Ukraine for the West to finally realize it.

Alex Bellamy examines the road to Ukraine 2022 and charts the path from Chechnya, Putin's first war which helped propel him to the presidency, through to conflict in Georgia, Crimea, the South Caucasus and Syria. He shows the central role war has played in Putin's rule and how it has helped craft a new social contract between president and people grounded in a shared vision of Russian national identity. For anyone wanting to understand the hows and whys of the war in Ukraine, Alex Bellamy's clear and insightful analysis is a must-read.

Review Quotes

Timely and Important... Warmonger is a book well worth reading for anyone interested in Russia's near abroad assertion. It skillfully describes Moscow's military engagements during the past thirty years and, building on this, demonstrates that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a long time in coming.--Elias Götz, H-Diplo

An incisive look at Putin's use of aggressive military strategies to secure his own power, and the impact of this approach on Russia's international relations... Bellamy provides comprehensive insight, demonstrating how these conflicts were crucial to Putin's rise and his ability to reshape the relationship between Russians and the State.--LSE Review of Books

All of Putin's cruel wars in one book. Read it.--John Sweeney, author of Killer in the Kremlin

An accessible guide to the last 30 years of the history of Russia and its victims. Alex Bellamy demonstrates clearly how Putin's entire reign has been building up to Russia's war on Ukraine.--Keir Giles, author of Russia's War on Everybody

About the Author

Alex J. Bellamy is Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies and Director of the Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect at the University of Queensland, Australia. A Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, he has served as a consultant to the United Nations, was a Non-Resident Senior Adviser at the International Peace Institute, New York, and has been a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford. His most recent books include Syria Betrayed: War, Atrocities, and the Failure of International Diplomacy (2022) and World Peace (And How We Can Achieve it) (2019).