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This book explores Russia's sense of its own uniqueness and the impact this has had on Russia's conduct of international relations. Examining concepts such as Russia's special civilising mission, its difference from the West, its proneness to conduct violent warfare, and more, and discussing these concepts in relation to Russia's history and its present behaviour, and also in relation to other countries' views of themselves as exceptional, the book highlights Russia's sense of its own identity as a key factor shaping current international events.

"This book explores Russia's sense of its own uniqueness and the impact this has had on Russia's conduct of international relations. Examining concepts such as Russia's special civilising mission, its difference from the West, its proneness to conduct violent warfare, and more, and discussing these concepts in relation to Russia's history and its present behaviour, and also in relation to other countries' views of themselves as exceptional, the book highlights Russia's sense of its own identity as a key factor shaping current international events"--

Understanding contemporary global politics by connecting them to the meditations of a classical Greek philosopher may seem farfetched and counterintuitive. But for political theorists, policymakers, the new influencers, journalists and engaged students, Thucydides' ancient wisdom provides insights into diagnosing and even undermining an endemic of political fear spreading across the world's borders. With his help, this book probes six case studies of aspiring great powers and the brittle identities that they may have unwittingly constructed. Raymond Taras questions the motives of the manipulators of fear whether found in in authoritarian states or increasingly in backsliding liberal democratic ones. The urgency of returning to and respecting tolerance in states establishing relations with arriving refugees and migrants takes on critical importance.

Tackles the challenge of dismantling the multicultural model without destroying diversity in European society* Have Europeans become hostile to multiculturalism? * When people vote for anti-immigration parties, do they also support their anti-multiculturalism policies? * And are right-wing extremists becoming the storm troopers of the struggle against diversity? In recent years, European political leaders from Angela Merkel to David Cameron have discarded the term 'multiculturalism' and now express scepticism, criticism and even hostility towards multicultural ways of organising their societies. Yet they are unprepared to reverse the diversity existing in their states. These contradictory choices have different political consequences in the countries examined in this book. The future of European liberalism is being played out as multicultural notions of belonging, inclusion, tolerance and the national home are brought into question.

A comprehensive analysis of politics in a young European democracy, this book describes the principal features of Poland's democratic system-the political institutions, parties, elections, and leaders that have shaped the transition from communism. Raymond Taras examines the complex Walesa phenomenon; the comeback of the communists; and the uneasy

A national dialectManifest destiny and exceptionalism; Elitism and exclusion; Immigrant Americans; Immigration writ large and small; Identities and divisions; Race and anxiety; Has America lost its mind?; 7. Multinational India; Majority and majority; The British Raj and Indian nationalism; Mutiny and nation; Towards partition; Famine; Hindu nationalism triumphant; Flawed nationhood; Climate refugees; BJP rising; 8. Multiracial South Africa; Troubled legacy; The violence of colonialism; Identity obsession; Elections and nationhood; Zulu as historic nation; Xenophobia without racism

Raymond Taras explains the causal mechanisms propelling three EU states to become engaged in outside conflicts and tells the story of when and why xenophobia at home is converted into xenophobia abroad. Key features: a scholarly investigation into the role that human phobias play in international politics; examines states in Europe and beyond that have been marked by contrasting historical pathways whose policy responses to "strangers" at home and to "friends" or "foes" abroad are dramatically dissimilar; addresses the phenomena of social fears, moral panic, and declinism of the Wet through the prism of xenophobic attitudes and their often underestimated consequences; and includes chapter-length case studies of France, Poland, and Sweden, as well as offering counterpoints furnished by the US, China, Iran, and Turkey. -- Back cover

1. The power of images and the images of power : past and present identity in Russia's international relations / Ray Taras -- 2. Mirror, mirror. : myth-making, self-images and views of the US "other" in contemporary Russia / Bo Petersson -- 3. Russia in international society over the longue duree : lessons from early Rus' and early post-Soviet state formation / Iver B. Neumann -- 4. The "Varangian problem" : science in the grip of ideology and politics / Elena Melnikova -- 5. Russian and European mutual perceptions : foreign policy stereotypes in historical perspective / Aleksander V. Golubev -- 6. Russia and "the West" in the 2000s : redefining Russian identity in official political discourse / Olga Malinova -- 7. Constructing Russophobia / Valentina Feklyunina -- 8. Images, metaphors, and power : reinventing the grammar of Russian trans-border regionalism / Andrey S. Makarychev -- 9. The embarrassing Russian connection : selective memory of the Russian heritage in contemporary Poland / Tomasz Zarycki.

"Are anti-Muslim attitudes becoming the spectre that is haunting Europe? Is Islamophobia as widespread and virulent as is made out? Or do some EU societies appear more prejudiced than others? To what extent are European fears about unmanaged immigration the basis for scapegoating Muslim communities? And is there an anti-elitest dimension to Europeans' protest about rapid demographic change occurring in their countries? This cross-national analysis of Islamophobia looks at these questions in an innovative, even-handed way, steering clear of politically-correct clichés and stereotypes. It cautions that Islamophobia is a serious threat to European values and norms, and must be tackled by future immigration and integration policy. First comprehensive study of Islamophobic attitudes in Europe: traces their origins and identifies their consequences. Comparative analysis of the roots of European xenophobia and its destructive consequence in the rise and spread of anti-Muslim attitudes. Explores the growing opposition to immigration across Europe, with a special focus on the cases of France and Germany. Textbook features include tables of comparative data and sidebars illustrating key issues."--Publisher's website

Europe's institutions and millennial expansion -- Quarreling over institutions in an enlarging EU -- Metacultural presumptions of European elites -- The politics of phobias -- European publics and their phobias -- Ethnic hierarchies -- Narrations of home across borders -- Narrations of home across borders -- Narrating Europe's phobias

How people construct their idea of home influences the types of nationalisms that emerge in various parts of the world. These nationalisms can be inclusive or exclusionary, tolerant or intolerant, peaceful or violent. In this important new book, Ray Taras provides a comprehensive analysis of the history and study of nationalism. He describes what happens when home is defined as empire (Russia and India), secessionist state (KwaZulu and Quebec), uninational Volkstaat (Germany and Israel), or transnational community (Islam and anti-Americanism). Finally, he explores the idea that the mantra of m

This volume provides a cross-national analysis of the changing identities of various national and ethnic groups, their new political influence in the emergent democracies and their efforts to revive suppressed cultures. It begins with a theoretical analysis of the concepts of national identity and ethnicity. It features case studies of contemporary Belarussian, Polish and Ukrainian national identities before turning to a study of Eastern Europe's hidden ethnic minorities, like the Finno-Ugric peoples in Russia, the Lemkos in Poland and the Gypsies in Bulgaria

A comprehensive analysis of politics in a young European democracy, this book describes the principal features of Poland's democratic system - the political institutions, parties, elections, and leaders that have shaped the transition from communism. Recognizing that democratic consolidation requires economic development, Raymond Taras also considers Poland's economic performance under free-market rules as well as the related issues of privatization, foreign investment, trade, and integration into the global economy. His testing of theories of transition and development makes this text an important contribution to the comparative study of democratic consolidation