ABOUT THIS BOOK

Russia's leadership in establishing the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is emblematic of its desire to end US hegemony and rewrite the rules of the international system. Rachel S. Salzman tells the story of why Russia broke with the West, how BRICS came together, why the group is emblematic of Russia's challenge to the existing global order, and how BRICS has changed since its debut. The BRICS group of non-Western states with emerging economies is held together by a shared commitment to revising global economic governance and strict noninterference in the internal affairs of other countries. BRICS is not exclusively a Russian story, but understanding the role of BRICS in Russian foreign policy is critical to understanding the group’s mission. In a time of alienation from the Euro-Atlantic world, BRICS provides Russia with much needed political support and legitimacy. While the longterm cohesion of the group is uncertain, BRICS stands as one of Vladimir Putin's signature international accomplishments. This book is essential reading for scholars and policymakers interested in Russian foreign policy, the BRICS group, and global governance.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Rachel S. Salzman is a visiting scholar in the Department of European and Eurasian Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She was previously a postdoctoral fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies. This is her first book.

REVIEWS

Salzman comprehensively ascertains the main internal and external drivers of Russian foreign policy through appropriate research methods.

-- Rising Powers Quarterly

The book sheds unique light upon this contested and under-researched group of nations and highlights the transient nature of the system of global governance.

-- LSE Review of Books

What Salzman demonstrates more than anything else is that narratives of foreign policy are important guides for action. For sure, there have been some other useful studies on Russia and BRICS, most notably, by Cynthia Roberts among American experts. But none of these works match Salzman’s deep detail on the words of Russian officials and experts, with particular reference to Vladimir Putin.

-- The Russian Review

"The book sheds unique light upon this contested and under-researched group of nations and highlights the transient nature of the system of global governance."

-- Erdem Lamazhapov LSE Review of Books

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

List of FiguresAcknowledgmentsA Note on Transliteration and SourcesAbbreviationsIntroduction: Russia, the West, and the BRICS

1. Status Quo Revisionism: Post-Soviet Russia and the International System2. From BRIC to BRICS: An Institutional History3. Laying the Rhetorical Foundation for BRICS: The Evolution of the Concepts of Sovereignty and National Identity, 2000-20074. Potemkin Villages and Rhetorical Bridges: BRICS in Russian Policy, 2008-20135. From Bridge to Bulwark (and Back Again): Russia and BRICS After the Onset of the Ukraine Crisis6. BRICS from Other Perspectives: The Views from India and China

Conclusions: Russia and BRICS in an Age of Strategic UncertaintyBibliographyIndexAbout the Author