Soviet And Russian Press Coverage Of The United States: Press, Politics And Identity In Transition (st Antony's Series)

To my parents, Alvin and Arlene ## Contents Acknowledgements viii This book started as a doctoral dissertation at the University of Oxford, St Antony's College. At that time, the Soviet Union still existed and the Cold War was just beginning to abate. In my wildest dreams, I never imagined that by the time the book was completed, the Union would collapse and I would have spent five years teaching and working in the former 'Eastern bloc'. I am indebted to the many people who have helped make this book possible. I should start by thanking Alex Pravda, my dissertation supervisor, who has been tremendously supportive over the years, even after I had long departed Oxford. Richard Kindersley, Archie Brown, Mary McAuley and Neil Malcolm offered helpful comments on many of the chapters, as did Dave Keen, Philip Murphy and Kate Flynn. Alexandra de Brito was particularly helpful in pushing me to broaden my horizons and explore new and invaluable literature. Christine Zapotocky and my wife, Jessica, provided fresh perspectives on the many restructured chapters. Alfred Stepan deserves special thanks for his encouragement and for never failing to remind me that I had a book to complete. I owe a debt of gratitude to Jackie Willcox of St Antony's College who demonstrated tremendous patience in responding to my numerous requests and my ever expanding presence in the Russian library. I am also thankful to the many Russian journalists who generously granted interviews. I only wish that they could now work in better conditions. I am indebted to several students at the University of Kiev Mohyla Academy and the Central European University who provided critical research assistance. I would also like to thank Philip Longworth for first drawing my interest to Russia. Although I have moved forward a few centuries, many of the themes remain the same. "Throughout this work, Becker demonstrates an exceptional understanding of Soviet reality and how it has modelled the post Cold War Russian press system. Becker's well organized, thorough analysis, combined with a strong narrative style, offers readers a sophisticated, yet easy-to-follow text appropriate for advanced undergraduates, graduate students and professors ... a must-read text for anyone wishing to make sense of the contemporary Russian press."--Robyn S. Goodman, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 'The book is clearly written, contains a wealth of materials and in view of the misunderstandings that continue to bedevil American-Russian relations, is timely.' - Frank Ellis, Slavonic and East European Review 'A rare combination of 'external' observation of Russian politics with 'internal' understanding of cultural code that allows him to provide readers with both objective and empathetic analysis of the recent ideological transformations in Russia ... This stimulating book is an important contribution to the realistic assessment of where Russia is on its way to democracy.' - Nikolai Koposov, Dean, Smolny College, St Petersburg, Russia 'Becker manages to order a tremendous amount of material into a concise yet informative study ... (that is) particularly valuable for scholars. Becker's monograph is also accessible to a wide audience: his care in translating quotations means the book can be fully appreciated by almost any reader, making the book a solid investigation into a recent and critical period in Soviet and Russian history.' - David J. Galloway, Slavonic and East European Journal The Twentieth Century Posed Great Challenges For British Foreign Policy. How Effectively Did Policymakers Cope With Change And Decline? Were They As Pragmatic As They Claimed? Are There Identifiable Patterns Of Success And Failure? Peter Mangold Seeks To Answer These Questions In This New Thematic Account Of British Foreign Policy Between 1900 And 2000. Issues Covered Include Imperial Overstretch, The Reluctance To Engage Militarily And Politically With Continental Europe, Alliance Management, The Role Of Force, Loss Of Great Power Status, And Britain's Impact On The International System. The Final Chapter Considers Prospects For The Twenty-first Century.--jacket. 1. The Scope Of The Possible -- 2. Ends Beyond Means -- 3. The Limits Of Pragmatism -- 4. Kinds Of Allies -- 5. The Strategic Dimension -- 6. The Sound Barrier -- 7. International Impact -- 8. Patterns And Prognoses -- App. I. Outline Chronology, Main Events Relating To British Foreign Policy, 1900-2000 -- App. Ii. British Foreign Secretaries, 1900-2001. Peter Mangold. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 219-233) And Index. This book examines changing Soviet and Russian press coverage of the United States from the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev as General Secretary of the Communist Party through Boris Yeltsin's re-election as Russian President and onward to the Putin Era. Becker argues that, owing to the absence of a language to support the reform strategy, the Soviet press presented positive images of its chief ideological and military opponent, the United States, as a means of supporting political, social and economic reform. Indeed, journalists were so overcome by a desire to present a 'new America' that, if anything, the United States was idealized where it was once reviled. Becker suggests that the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a more self-confident Russia means that the symbolic and discursive significance of the United States for Russia has diminished. His conclusions come from a careful reading of the Soviet and Russian press over a ten-year period and from interviews with journalists and editors This book examines changing Soviet and Russian press coverage of the United States from the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev through the presidency of Vladimir Putin. A new afterword focuses on recent developments in the Russian media and Russian press coverage of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Becker argues that due to the absence of a language to support the reform strategy, the Soviet press presented positive images of its chief ideological and military opponent, the United States, as a means of supporting political, social and economic reform. He suggests that the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a more self-confident Russia means that the symbolic and discursive significance of the United States for Russia has diminished. This book examines changing Soviet and Russian press coverage of the United States from the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev through the Presidency of Vladimir Putin. A new Afterword focuses on recent developments in the Russian media and Russian press coverage of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. Becker argues that due to the absence of a language to support the reform strategy, the Soviet press presented positive images of its chief ideological and military opponent, the United States, as a means of supporting political, social and economic reform. He suggests that the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a more self-confident Russia means that the symbolic and discursive significance of the United States for Russia has diminished. Publisher Description (unedited publisher data) This book examines changing Soviet and Russian press coverage of the US from the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev through the re-election victory of Boris Yeltsin as Russian president in 1996 and onward to the Putin era. Jonathan A. Becker argues that due to the absence of a language to support the reform strategy, the Soviet press presented positive images of its chief ideological and military opponent, the US, as a means of supporting political, social, and economic reform. He suggests that the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a more self-confident Russia means that the symbolic and discursive significance of the US for Russia has diminished "The twentieth century posed great challenges for British foreign policy. How effectively did policymakers cope with change and decline? Were they as pragmatic as they claimed? Are there identifiable patterns of success and failure?". "Peter Mangold seeks to answer these questions in this new thematic account of British foreign policy between 1900 and 2000. Issues covered include imperial overstretch, the reluctance to engage militarily and politically with continental Europe, alliance management, the role of force, loss of Great Power status, and Britain's impact on the international system. The final chapter considers prospects for the twenty-first century."--BOOK JACKET.

This book examines changing Soviet and Russian press coverage of the US from the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev through the re-election victory of Boris Yeltsin as Russian president in 1996 and onward to the Putin era. Jonathan A. Becker argues that due to the absence of a language to support the reform strategy, the Soviet press presented positive images of its chief ideological and military opponent, the US, as a means of supporting political, social, and economic reform. He suggests that the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a more self-confident Russia means that the symbolic and discursive significance of the US for Russia has diminished.

"This book examines changing Soviet and Russian press coverage of the United States from the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev as General Secretary of the Communist Party through Boris Yeltsin's re-election as Russian President in 1996. Becker argues that, owing to the absence of a language to support the reform strategy, the Soviet press presented positive images of its chief ideological and military opponent, the United States, as a means of supporting political, social and economic reform. Indeed, journalists were so overcome by a desire to present a 'new America' that, if anything, the United States was idealized where it was once reviled."--BOOK JACKET. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-7 Front Matter....Pages 9-9 Press Systems....Pages 11-17 Soviet Communications Policy....Pages 18-36 Glasnost’ vs. Freedom of the Press....Pages 37-64 Front Matter....Pages 65-65 ‘Otherness’, Enmity and Envy in Soviet Images of the United States....Pages 67-71 US/Soviet Relations in the Gorbachev Period....Pages 72-86 Changing Images of American Military and Foreign Policy....Pages 87-109 Images of Domestic America....Pages 110-136 The Russian Press and Images of the United States....Pages 137-157 Conclusion....Pages 158-166 Back Matter....Pages 167-233 A growing interest in political Islam has assumed significant ideological and intellectual dimensions, especially in recent years. Rather than viewing the issue as Islam versus the rest, or tradition against modernity, this volume acknowledges the mutualities without overlooking the tensions. It centers on issues such as the Rushdie affair, conflictive pluralism in South Asia and Islam's links with the Kashmir dispute, the Iranian revolution, civil war in Afghanistan, and western public diplomacy. "This book gives an economic perspective to the analysis of deforestation. Following a survey of different deforestation definitions, theories and empirical evidence, a case-study of Ecuador provides a versatile historical picture of factors influencing forest loss throughout different periods, regions and ecosystems."--BOOK JACKET.