In Rival Power: Russia in Southeast Europe, Dimitar Bechev offers a nuanced and cool-headed account that challenges dominant narratives surrounding Europe, Dimitar Bechev offers a nuanced and cool-headed account that challenges dominant narratives surrounding Russia’s influence in Southeast Europe. With the book emphasising the role of pragmatism over ideology when it comes to understanding relations between Russia and the Balkan states, this meticulously researched study is essential reading, recommends Tena Prelec

Prelec, Tena

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Book	Review:	Rival	Power:	Russia	in	SoutheastEurope	by	Dimitar	BechevIn	Rival	Power:	Russia	in	Southeast	Europe,	Dimitar	Bechev	offers	a	nuanced	and	cool-headed	account	thatchallenges	dominant	narratives	surrounding	Russia’s	influence	in	Southeast	Europe.	With	the	book	emphasisingthe	role	of	pragmatism	over	ideology	when	it	comes	to	understanding	relations	between	Russia	and	the	Balkanstates,	this	meticulously	researched	study	is	essential	reading,	recommends	Tena	Prelec.	Rival	Power:	Russia	in	Southeast	Europe.	Dimitar	Bechev.	Yale	University	Press.	2017.Find	this	book:	Russia’s	influence	in	Southeast	Europe	has	become	an	ardently	debated	topic	of	late.Since	affairs	between	Moscow	and	the	West	have	taken	a	more	confrontational	turn,the	Balkans	–	touted	as	the	soft	underbelly	of	Europe	–	have	once	again	come	underthe	spotlight	as	the	playground	Russia	is	supposedly	using	to	undermine	the	Westfrom	within.	Does	Russia	have	a	coherent	plan	in	this	sense,	and	does	it	have	theresources	to	pull	off	such	a	feat?	Dimitar	Bechev’s	answer	is	‘probably	not’.Rival	Power:	Russia	in	Southeast	Europe	is	the	first	academic	long-form	effort	writtenafter	the	turn	of	the	century	to	tackle	this	heated	subject	(James	Headley’s	2008	workonly	considers	former	Yugoslavia),	and	as	such	it	would	have	been	easy	for	its	authorto	indulge	in	attention-grabbing	arguments,	spurring	a	wealth	of	headlines.	Instead,this	is	a	nuanced,	cool-headed	and	meticulously	researched	account	that	goesagainst	the	dominant	narratives	abounding	in	mainstream	media.	The	scholarlycommunity	is	lucky	that	it	was	Bechev	to	write	this	book,	and	at	this	time:	no	doubt,polarising	and	alarmistic	analyses	will	keep	arising,	but	we	are	now	armed	with	a	work	that	sets	the	recordstraight.The	myths	dispensed	by	Bechev	are	at	least	two-fold.	The	book	shows	that	ideology	(intended	especially	ashistorical	and	religious	ties)	is	a	much	less	relevant	factor	than	pragmatism	when	it	comes	to	Russia’s	relationswith	South	East	European	countries.	Furthermore,	it	reverses	the	narrative	of	Russia	as	a	predatory	presence,with	the	Balkan	countries	the	victims	of	its	aggression.	The	book	highlights	how	the	local	players,	far	from	beingmere	pawns,	were	able	to	take	advantage	of	Moscow’s	game	in	the	Balkans	to	exploit	it	for	their	own	gains,which	range	from	cuts	in	Russia’s	investment	ventures	(primarily	in	oil	and	gas)	to	hedging	their	political	bets	withthe	West	by	projecting	the	scare	of	a	possible	Russian	takeover	–	this	last	aspect	being	a	line	of	inquiry	whichcould	have	perhaps	been	developed	further.The	book	is	divided	into	two	parts.	In	Part	I,	the	issue	is	examined	with	a	historical	approach	and	takes	countriesand	territories	(former	Yugoslavia;	Bulgaria	and	Romania;	Greece	and	Cyprus;	and	Turkey)	as	starting	points.The	prism	of	the	analysis	is	reversed	in	Part	II,	where	we	are	taken	through	the	subject	matter	along	threedimensions:	security	(‘From	a	military	standoff	to	hybrid	warfare’);	the	economy,	which	is	told	through	the	all-important	energy	sector	(‘Playing	the	energy	card’);	and	soft	power	(‘The	allure	of	Russia’s	might’).	The	secondsection	is	shorter	than	the	first,	and	yet	it	aptly	completes	the	narration:	the	double	perspective	allows	the	book	tooffer	a	comprehensive	and	fully	rounded	account,	while	a	lone	country	case	study	approach	would	have	left	theargumentation	wanting.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Rival Power: Russia in Southeast Europe by Dimitar Bechev Page 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2017-10-16Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2017/10/16/book-review-rival-power-russia-in-southeast-europe-by-dimitar-bechev/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/Image	Credit:	Bucharest,	Romania	(Ștefan	Jurcă	CC	BY	2.0)The	wide	array	of	countries	examined	in	the	book	should	not	put	readers	off.	Bechev	is	no	impromptu	expert:	hehas	a	towering	understanding	of	the	multifaceted	region,	with	a	remarkable	knowledge	of	the	countries’	history,politics	and	their	many	languages.	The	book	is	written	in	his	usual	engaging,	clear	and	concise	style.	The	authorseamlessly	switches	from	captivating	historical	narrative	–	full	of	interesting	detail,	but	never	too	prolix	–	toanalysis	of	the	economic	and	practical	motives,	complete	with	duly-noted	hard	figures.The	work	also	benefits	from	a	non-partisan	tone.	While	the	overall	thesis	sets	out	that	it	is	pragmatism	rather	thanideology	that	underpins	the	actions	of	both	Russia	and	of	the	local	players,	and	that	alarm	concerning	Russia’smeddling	in	the	Balkans	to	destabilise	Europe	is	overblown,	Bechev	does	not	shy	away	from	documenting	all	theindications	pointing	to	the	contrary.	He	concedes,	for	instance,	that	‘Moscow	benefits	from	instability	on	Europe’speriphery’,	and	that	‘Russia	and	Putin	command	a	tremendous	amount	of	support	across	countries	with	EasternOrthodox	majorities’.	The	reader	is	thus	never	left	with	the	uncomfortable	feeling	that	the	book	is	pushing	anagenda.The	discussion	therefore	does	not	discount	the	appeal	of	soft	power,	but	puts	it	into	perspective,	highlighting	howRussia	plays	a	weak	hand	very	well,	and	how	local	actors	have	a	significant	role	in	the	process.	It	alsoconvincingly	emphasises	that,	by	focusing	on	former	Yugoslav	countries	in	the	‘Russia	and	the	Balkans’	narrativepushed	by	the	media,	we	often	fail	to	appreciate	the	dynamics	playing	out	in	areas	where	Moscow	has	in	manyways	an	equally	large	–	if	not	wider	–	impact	and	relevance,	such	as	Bulgaria,	Cyprus	or	Turkey.	Finally,	it	isparticularly	valuable	in	showing	how	‘dysfunctional	democracies,	state	capture,	and	the	backslide	to	authoritarianpolitics	are,	on	a	whole,	homegrown	ills,	not	an	outcome	of	a	sinister	Muscovite	plot’.It	is	difficult	to	spot	any	glaring	shortcomings.	Political	scientists	should	not	expect	a	predictive	account,	findingmodels	for	the	future:	this	is	an	explanatory	inquiry,	and	its	predictions	–	outlined	in	the	conclusion	–	are	fittinglylimited	to	the	area	of	examination.	Bechev	argues	that,	going	forward,	Southeast	European	countries	will	largelystick	to	the	West	as	the	rewards	to	be	reaped	from	it	are	expected	to	be	higher,	while	at	the	same	time	keepingtheir	options	open.	On	a	larger	scale,	it	is	argued	that	the	West	possesses	the	power	assets	but	is	disoriented	asto	what	to	do	with	them,	while	Russia	is	defined	as	an	‘opportunist’	with	a	clear	set	of	goals	but	not	enoughmeans	to	achieve	them.For	all	those	who	are	interested	in	the	Balkans	and	in	Russia,	and	especially	in	the	intersection	of	the	two,	RivalPower	is	essential	reading.	It	is	a	book	to	peruse	with	pleasure,	but	also	to	keep	as	a	reference	guide.	It	hassynthesis	and	depth.	This	work	will	no	doubt	constitute	the	standard	against	which	to	judge	future	efforts	on	thetopic	in	the	years	to	come,	and	the	bar	is	now	set	very	high.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Rival Power: Russia in Southeast Europe by Dimitar Bechev Page 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2017-10-16Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2017/10/16/book-review-rival-power-russia-in-southeast-europe-by-dimitar-bechev/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/Tena	Prelec	is	a	Doctoral	Candidate	at	the	School	of	Law,	Politics	and	Sociology	of	the	University	of	Sussex,	aResearch	Associate	at	LSEE-Research	on	South	Eastern	Europe	(LSE	European	Institute)	and	Editor	of	BritishPolitics	and	Policy	at	LSE.Note:	This	review	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	the	LSE	Review	of	Books	blog,	or	of	theLondon	School	of	Economics.	LSE Review of Books: Book Review: Rival Power: Russia in Southeast Europe by Dimitar Bechev Page 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2017-10-16Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2017/10/16/book-review-rival-power-russia-in-southeast-europe-by-dimitar-bechev/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/

Book review: rival power: Russia in Southeast Europe by Dimitar Bechev

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