Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War

Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil War examines the complex relationship between these two nations from the Soviet Union's collapse through the onset of war in 2014. Paul D'Anieri analyzes the key events, decisions, and underlying factors that transformed the post-Soviet relationship into armed conflict. The book traces how initial cooperation and mutual recognition between independent Ukraine and Russia gave way to increasing tensions over NATO expansion, energy politics, and competing visions of regional integration. D'Anieri draws on extensive research to explain both nations' strategic calculations and policy choices during this period. This work places the conflict within broader international relations frameworks while maintaining focus on specific developments in bilateral relations, domestic politics, and security dynamics. The author examines multiple perspectives on critical turning points and evaluates different theoretical explanations for the deterioration of ties. The analysis raises fundamental questions about the compatibility of Russia's great power ambitions with Ukraine's sovereign choices, and the challenges of maintaining peaceful relations between states with asymmetric power and diverging national interests.

Readers value the book's comprehensive historical analysis of Ukraine-Russia relations from 1991-2019. Multiple reviewers note its clear explanation of how the conflict developed over decades rather than suddenly in 2014. Liked: - Detailed coverage of political decisions and policy choices - Balanced perspective on both countries' actions - Academic rigor while remaining readable - Inclusion of primary source documents Disliked: - Some found the academic writing style dry - A few readers wanted more cultural/social context - Limited coverage of events after 2019 Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (89 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (52 ratings) Notable reader comments: "Best analytical framework for understanding the current crisis" - Amazon reviewer "Could use more discussion of Ukrainian perspective pre-2014" - Goodreads reviewer "Clear explanations of complex diplomatic relationships" - LibraryThing review

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🔹 The book examines 30 years of Ukraine-Russia relations, tracing how their initially peaceful split after the USSR's collapse evolved into violent conflict - a perspective many works miss by focusing solely on recent events. 🔹 Paul D'Anieri draws from his unique background as both a political scientist and a former diplomat in Soviet successor states, combining academic analysis with firsthand experience of the region. 🔹 The author challenges the common narrative that the conflict began in 2014, instead arguing that the seeds were sown in the early 1990s through fundamental disagreements about sovereignty and identity. 🔹 The book reveals how Ukraine's attempt to build closer ties with NATO and the EU was seen by Russia not just as a security threat, but as an existential challenge to its vision of Russian civilization. 🔹 While written before the 2022 invasion, the book accurately predicted that Russia would likely escalate its military actions against Ukraine, based on patterns of Russian behavior and policy since the 1990s.