New Books Of Interest, May 2016.

• Author: Kiehl, Bill
• Position: Books of Interest - Recommended readings

May 2016

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Our new format designed to replace our book reviews places more of the choice on you, the Reader. My colleagues and I at American Diplomacy identify new books that we believe may interest you. We'll provide basic information on the books and links to reviews. You will have the choice of whether, or how far, to pursue your interests in the books. From time to time we will also feature an original book review or book essay of note. Good reading! And please let us know how you like the format.

William P. Kiehl, Ed.D.

Contributing Editor, Books

Not by Bread Alone by Robert Nalbandov Blood, Dreams and Gold by Richard Cockett Democratic Politics in a European Union Under Stress Edited by Olaf Cramme and Sara B. Hobolt Global Inequality by Brank Milanovic In Europe's Shadow by Robert D. Kaplan War by Other Means by Robert D. Blackwill and Jennifer M. Harris

Not by Bread Alone by Robert Nalbandov

http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/product/Not-by-Bread-Alone,677088.aspx

Since its independence in 1991, Russia has struggled with the growing pains of defining its role in international politics. After Vladimir Putin ascended to power in 2000, the country undertook grandiose foreign policy projects in an attempt to delineate its place among the world's superpowers. With this in mind, Robert Nalbandov examines the milestones of Russia's international relations since the turn of the twenty-first century. He focuses on the specific goals, engagement practices, and tools used by Putin's administration to promote Russia's vital national and strategic interests in specific geographic locations. His findings illuminate Putin's foreign policy objective of reinstituting Russian global strategic dominance. Nalbandov argues that identity-based politics have dominated Putin's tenure and that Russia's east/west split is reflected in Asian-European politics.

Nalbandov's analysis shows that unchecked domestic power, an almost exclusive application of hard power, and determined ambition for unabridged global influence and a defined place as a world superpower are the keys to Putin's Russia.

Robert Nalbandov is an assistant professor of political science at Utah State University and the author of Democratization and Instability in Ukraine, Georgia, and Belarus and Foreign Interventions in Ethnic Conflicts.

Blood, Dreams and Gold by Richard Cockett

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/2015-12-11/blood-dreams-and-gold-changing-face-burma

Richard Cockett, a former correspondent for The Economist, has traveled to every corner of Myanmar (also known as Burma) to uncover the roots of its troubled condition. The Burmans, the majority ethnic group (who are mostly Buddhist)...