"Account of James H. Billington's influence on US policy toward Russia in 1987 to 2015 and of Library of Congress programs in Russia aimed at promoting reform based on the revival of traditional Russian culture combined with democratic reforms based on Western models. Draws lessons for future US policy in Eurasia"--
Through the lens of James Billington and the institution he led as Librarian of Congress during a key period of US-Russian relations, The Geopolitics of Culture examines culture as a neglected area of US foreign policy. Billington advised presidents and members of Congress and mobilized the resources of the Library of Congress to promote reform in Russia. He believed that rather than preaching to the Russians, the United States should expose the rising generation of Russian leaders to what was best in America and encourage them to rediscover positive elements in pre-Bolshevik Russian culture.
The Geopolitics of Culture is the first book to chronicle Billington's influence on US engagement with Russia as it transitioned from communism to democracy under Gorbachev and Yeltsin and back to authoritarianism under Yeltsin and Putin. Drawing on published and archival sources (including recently released papers) and interviews with current and retired Library of Congress staff members, John Van Oudenaren casts new light on this era.
Billington's efforts led to a remarkable degree of cooperation between the Library of Congress and Russian cultural and political institutions. Yet these efforts ultimately failed as Putin turned back toward authoritarianism. The experience of the Library of Congress during this period nonetheless holds important lessons for today. Billington believed that a transition to democracy in Russia was essential if the United States was to head off the geopolitical nightmare of a Eurasia dominated by an alliance of hostile authoritarian powers. The "geopolitics of culture" thus remains a challenge for US foreign policy.
Recenzijas
All Eastern European specialists and students will profit greatly from reading this thoughtful reflection on the unrealized potential of American cultural diplomacy.
(The Russian Review) The Geopolitics of Culture provides unique insight into the role of the Library of Congress in U.S. relations with Russia at the end of the Cold War, during the brief period of Russian openness and in the early years of Putin's administration.
(Slavic & East European Information Resources)
Introduction
1. The Librarian, the Library, and the Russian Collections
2. Mikhail Gorbachev and the Late Soviet Period, 19871991
3. Boris Yeltsin, 19911996
4. Boris Yeltsin, 19961999
5. Meeting of Frontiers and Open World, 19982002
6. Vladimir Putin, 20002008
7. Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin, 20082015
Conclusion
John Van Oudenaren is a Global Fellow at the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies. Previously he was Director of the World Digital Library and Chief of the European Division at the Library of Congress. He has been a Senior Researcher at RAND and was the Founding Director of RAND Europe.
Biežāk uzdotie jautājumi par e-grāmatām