Russia is back as a major force in global politics, but what does this mean? Is Russia the dangerous revisionist foe that meddles in Western elections and tries to subvert the liberal international order? Or is it a country precariously trying to maintain security and enhance prosperity at home, while re-asserting its place as a great power in the world today?

In this book, renowned Russia scholar Richard Sakwa explores current debates on Russia, placing them in historical context and outlining the fundamental challenges currently facing the country. Post-communist Russia had to grapple with a unique set of problems, including reconstituting the political system, rebuilding the economy, re-imagining the nation, and rethinking Russia’s place in the world. The solutions are still being sought, but this hard-hitting study argues that the failure to create an international system in which Russia’s transformation became part of a revised world order has made the search far more difficult than it may otherwise have been. Although Russia is one of the oldest states in Europe, in its contemporary guise it is one of the youngest. Russia has had many pasts and, given its size, centrality and complexity, it will also have many futures.

‘An original and deeply knowledgeable take on Russia today from the UK's leading expert on Russian politics.’
Edwin Bacon, University of Lincoln

‘In this important and engaging book, Sakwa lays low all-too-prevalent simplistic beliefs about Russia and its goals under Putin. Presenting a complex, developed society and a state struggling to create a Russian version of modernity, Russia’s Futures provocatively calls for rethinking “Europe”, the global order, and Russia’s possible place therein.’
Henry Hale, The George Washington University

Richard Sakwa is Professor of Russian and European Politics at the University of Kent at Canterbury.