Securitising Russia

The book demonstrates how Vladimir Putin has wrestled with terrorism, immigration, media freedom, religious pluralism and economic globalism in response to twenty-first-century security concerns.

The book demonstrates how Vladimir Putin has wrestled with terrorism, immigration, media freedom, religious pluralism and economic globalism in response to twenty-first-century security concerns.

Securitising Russia shows the impact of twenty-first-century security concerns on the way Russia is ruled. It demonstrates how President Putin has wrestled with terrorism, immigration, media freedom, religious pluralism, and economic globalism, and argues that fears of a return to old-style authoritarianism oversimplify the complex context of contemporary Russia.The book focuses on the internal security issues common to many states in the early twenty-first-century, and places them in the particular context of Russia. Detailed analysis of the place of security in Russia’s political discourse and policy-making reveals nuances often missing from overarching assessments of Russia today. To characterise the Putin regime as the ‘KGB-resurgent’ is to miss vital continuities, contexts, and on-going political conflicts which make up the contemporary Russian scene.Securitising Russia draws together current debates about whether Russia is a ‘normal’ country developing its own democratic and market structures, or a nascent authoritarian regime returning to the past.

Introduction1. Approaches to contemporary Russia2. The security forces3. The Chechen conflict4. The media5. Civil society6. Migration7. The economy8. ConclusionSelect Bibliography