Russian Regions and Regionalism Strength through Weakness

The emergence of large regions within Russia as centres of gravity for political and international power, and the changing relationship between these emerging regions and the centre are critically important factors currently at work within Russia. This book examines the whole question of Russian regions and regionalism. It considers important themes related to regionalism, including demography, security, military themes and international relations, and looks at a wide range of particular regions as case studies. It discusses the extent to which regions have succeeded in establishing themselves as centres of power, and assesses the degree to which President Putin is succeeding in incorporating regions into a hierarchy of power in which the primacy of the centre is retained.

Graeme Herd is Deputy Director of the Scottish Centre for International Security, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Aberdeen. Anne Aldis is Research Manager at the Conflict Studies Research Centre, Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.