Studies In Communist Affairs

The Description for this book, Communism and Revolution: The Strategic Uses of Political Violence, will be forthcoming.

This wide-ranging study surveys the present state of international relations as an academic field. It locates and assesses recent developments in the field - in short, what is being done where, by whom, and why. The editors have focused on some central and controversial theoretical issues, and included surveys of principal sub-fields, as well as the various approaches to the study of international relations in different countries. The book provides a comprehensive overview of an important and fast-growing area of academic endeavour, and is essential reading for teachers and students of international politics and the social sciences at large.

This is the first book of its kind to employ hundreds of Chinese sources to explain the history and current state of Chinese Communist intelligence operations. It profiles the leaders, top spies, and important operations in the history of China's espionage organs, and links to an extensive online glossary of Chinese language intelligence and security terms. Peter Mattis and Matthew Brazil present an unprecedented look into the murky world of Chinese espionage both past and present, enabling a better understanding of how pervasive and important its influence is, both in China and abroad.

Drawing on the rich trove of recently declassified Russian and Chinese archival materials, this history of Sino-Soviet relations in the 20th century sheds new light on key events during this period. It offers fresh insights into the role of ideology and national interests in the evolution of the complex and turbulent relationship between not just the two countries but also their respective Communist Parties. The chapters on the normalization of bilateral ties provide an in-depth analysis of divisions in the socialist camp that culminated in both its collapse and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The book argues that 20th century Sino-Soviet relations reflected both long-standing and emerging political and geopolitical challenges facing members of the Cold War socialist camp, in particular tensions between the ideal of internationalism and national aspirations, between commitment to the principle of sovereignty and commitment to that of equality in international relations, and between inter-party relations and inter-state relations. This makes for a valuable addition to the reading lists of all those interested in the development of the relationship between two of the world’s most important countries.

Recently, a renewed international interest in Russia as a world political actor has emerged. Against this background, it is useful to better understand how international relations and foreign affairs are studied in Russia and how future Russian political actors, diplomatic personnel, ministerial bureaucrats, business managers, area experts, and other officials, activists, or researchers are taught for their work on the international arena. What are the theories, approaches, and schools that guide Russian teaching on, and research of, international relations? The current state of Russian studies of International Relations to a large degree reflects the history and development of IR research during Soviet times. However, over the past 25 years, one could also observe a number of new developments--both substantive and institutional--which are important not only for properly assessing the new state of this academic discipline in Russia, but also for better comprehending Russian foreign policy as well as various international activities of Russia's regions, businesses, media, etc.