Russia and its Neighbours: Could History Have Predicted Russia's War on Ukraine? - Couverture rigide

Swift, Jonathan S.

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 103613928X ISBN 13 : 9781036139285

Editeur : Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 2026

Synopsis

The world was shocked by the Russian re-invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022. However, given the history of Russo-Soviet aggression against Ukraine and other neighbouring states, the war was predictable. The Red Army has always aimed to impose their Communist ideology on the world, and Soviet leaders have heavily relied on their military, actively encouraging displays of unprecedented levels of violence as a means of striking fear into the populations they have attacked and occupied. From October 1920 during the Civil War, when the Red Army’s elite Cavalry units rampaged through the Ukrainian village of Prelacy, to the famine in Ukraine in 1946-1947, in which thousands starved to death as the Soviets forcibly exported grain and foodstuffs, to the 2014 Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea which precursor the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, this new study reveals how this invasion was a repetition of history rather than a recent, singular aberration of the Putin regime. This book shows how the current danger posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia is a continuation of the threats from the Communist administrations that preceded the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. In a wider context, rather than being threatened by Russian Communism, which lacked an economic base on which to leverage the West, western nations are now threatened by Russian Nationalism, underpinned by considerable economic power stemming from Russia’s vast reserves of oil, gas, timber, gold, coal and other minerals. The book argues that Putin’s long-term objective is the restoration of the boundaries of Imperial (Czarist) Russia, and that he sees himself as the Czar of a resurgent Russia, with absolute powers, rather than the leader of a government accountable to an electorate. The book also considers the role of NATO, and the greater consequences of a Russian attack on a NATO state, as well as the threats of nuclear weapons and cyber technology in modern warfare.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Dr Jonathan S. Swift comes from Bowness-on-Windermere, in the UK’s Lake District, and was educated at Heversham Grammar School, near Kendal. He lived for some time near Rome, Italy, after which he spent a year in Bogotá, Colombia, where he attended the Universidad Javeriana. After studying for a BA in Latin American Studies at Portsmouth, and spending a year in Mexico (in Xalapa, Veracruz), he began an academic career as a teacher of Spanish and French, in Bury, Lancashire. Whist teaching he studied part time at the University of Liverpool, where he was awarded an MA in Latin American Studies. He then went on to study at the University of Manchester (UMIST) , as part of a ESRC - sponsored course following which he was awarded an MSc programme MSc in Marketing. He secured a teaching post at Staffordshire University (Stoke-on-Trent) , where he taught a variety of postgraduate programmes, and ran a very successful research programme which matched students with UK companies that were looking to increase business abroad. While he was at Staffordshire, he completed a PhD (in Linguistics) at the University of Liverpool, and taught part time on a number of Masters level programmes and at the Manchester Business School and the University, where he was also involved in socio-linguistic pre-departure training for personnel from major UK companies going to Latin America to take up positions there. Following this, he moved to Salford University, and his final position on retirement was Senior Lecturer in International Business. He also ran the MSc in International Business programme, and put in place a number of residential study tours in Spain, Germany, and the Czech Republic. 

Jonathan has written numerous books and academic articles, and since retirement, has been able to focus on his love of military history and politics. He has just completed a book examining the war in 1879, in which Peru and Bolivia fought Chile: The South American Pacific War: Nationalism, Nitrates, Gunboats and Guano and about the Spanish Blue Division: The Spanish Blue Division: Franco Confronts Communism in Russia (both of which should be published in 2027.

Jonathan has a number of hobbies/interests, including history (especially military history), politics, international relations, fell-walking, chess, fishing, dogs, and listening to music - he is a great Beatles fan, and loves most music from the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. Living in Latin America gave him a love of Latin American (especially Mexican) music, in addition to the music of Spain. He has travelled widely throughout most of Europe and Latin America, and has visited China on a number of occasions. He is married, has three children, and currently lives in Lancashire with his wife and a border collie.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
• Date d'édition: 2026
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 103613928X
• ISBN 13: 9781036139285
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 248
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible