U.S.-Russia Relations Book Prize Goes to Kathryn Stoner, Author of “Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order”
The Russia and Eurasia Program at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is pleased to announce the recipient of the third annual book prize of the Fletcher U.S.-Russia Relations Initiative — Dr. Kathryn Stoner. The prize is for the outstanding work in her latest book, Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order (2021).
In Russia Resurrected, Dr. Stoner provides a unique contribution to the field of U.S.-Russian diplomatic studies with a thorough re-evaluation of the foundations of how U.S. policymakers perceive Russia’s power. She argues that the lens through which Washington views the U.S.’s relationship with Russia has remained largely unchanged since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and that it continues to assess Russia’s power with the standard metrics that it uses to assess itself. While Russia is neither as weak as the West perceives nor as strong as President Vladimir Putin’s portrayal, Dr. Stoner delves deeper into the complex relationship between the two great powers and underscores the importance of understanding modern Russia for policymakers in Washington.
When asked about presenting the award to Dr. Stoner, the Co-Director of Fletcher’s Russia and Eurasia Program, Chris Miller, said that “At a time when Russia’s foreign policy is again in the headlines, Kathryn Stoner’s new book explores how Russia has mustered power and deployed it on the international stage.”
“Providing a nuanced and sophisticated analysis of Russia’s tools of power projection, from its military to soft power, Stoner shows how Russia has been resurrected as a great power – but also the fragile and even dangerous foundations on which Russia’s newfound power lies,” Miller added.
Dr. Stoner is the Mosbacher Director at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, and is a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.
Her other recent works include Transitions to Democracy: A Comparative Perspective (2013), Autocracy and Democracy in the Post-Communist World (2009), and Resisting the State: Reform and Retrenchment in Post-Soviet Russia (2006). She is also a Professor of Political Science and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University (by courtesy).
On receiving the award, Dr. Stoner said “I am honored to receive this award from Fletcher’s Russia and Eurasia Program for Russia Resurrected. I am particularly grateful that this book is being recognized for its contributions at a time when understanding Russian strengths and weaknesses in international politics is more important than ever.”
As part of the award, Dr. Stoner has been invited to engage with the Fletcher community in the coming months about her work on Russia Resurrected as well as its broader implications on the field of U.S.-Russian relations.