To Balance or Not to Balance: Alignment Theory and the Commonwealth of Independent States

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, fifteen newly independent states emerged, some more ready than others. Some states decided to remain in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and this book focuses primary attention on these cases. Miller extends traditional realist alignment theories to include domestic level political and economic variables that are particularly salient to the study of the CIS. Moreover, an original framework developed and tested to understand examples such as why some leaders acquiesced to and even actively sought Russian assistance, despite Russia's overwhelming power advantage and recurrent neoimperial ambitions, is used. This book is designed to meet the need for a thorough theoretical and scholarly assessment of the international and domestic politics of CIS countries. Spanning the traditional boundaries of political science, international relations, comparative politics, international political economy, and policy studies, this text is intended primarily for scholars of post-Soviet studies and international relations theory.