Russian and Eurasian Politics: A Comparative Approach

Rating:
Summary: A real contribution to the field of Post-Soviet Studies
Review: Dr. Cichock's book is easily accessible to the layman and would also be a valuable addition to any professional political scientist's library. He gives the reader an introduction to comparative and international politics and an historical overview of the region in the book's first section. In the second section, he gives a thorough and insightful look into the Russian Federation's current political climate. His third and final section concludes with four case studies which examine in depth four Post-Soviet nation-states, which were carefully chosen to represent the general character of the regions in which they are located. Though Dr. Cichock seens to be a democratic idealist and free-market advocate, he never makes the mistake of recommending specific actions for Russia and the successor states. He never tries to play gypsy fortune-teller by forecasting probable events, either. His prose remains true to a detailed and thorough structural analysis of the political systems of the states in question. In his case studies, he shows reserve in using value judgements to convey his message and eschews complex tables of quantitative data. This displays his considerable skills of evaluating information synthetically as well as analytically. His work is well footnoted and draws heavily from authoritative primary source material and his selection of secondary sources is of the highest possible caliber. This book is also a truly enjoyable read for even the most casual of students of the Post-Soviet region. My only complaint would have to be that in weighing in at 281 pages, it is simply too short for me.