ABOUT THIS BOOK

This book analyzes the evolution of Russian military thought and how Russia's current thinking about war is reflected in recent crises. While other books describe current Russian practice, Oscar Jonsson provides the long view to show how Russian military strategic thinking has developed from the Bolshevik Revolution to the present. He closely examines Russian primary sources including security doctrines and the writings and statements of Russian military theorists and political elites. What Jonsson reveals is that Russia's conception of the very nature of war is now changing, as Russian elites see information warfare and political subversion as the most important ways to conduct contemporary war. Since information warfare and political subversion are below the traditional threshold of armed violence, this has blurred the boundaries between war and peace. Jonsson also finds that Russian leaders have, particularly since 2011/12, considered themselves to be at war with the United States and its allies, albeit with non-violent means. This book provides much needed context and analysis to be able to understand recent Russian interventions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, how to deter Russia on the eastern borders of NATO, and how the West must also learn to avoid inadvertent escalation.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Oscar Jonsson is during 2019 Director of the Stockholm Free World Forum (Frivärld), a Swedish foreign and security policy think tank, and associated researcher at the Swedish Defence University. Previously, he was a subject-matter expert at the Policy and Plans Department at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters. Jonsson holds a PhD from the Department of War Studies, King’s College London.

REVIEWS

This book provides much needed context and analysis to be able to understand recent Russian interventions in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, how to deter Russia on the eastern borders of NATO, and how the West must also learn to avoid inadvertent escalation.

-- Irish Tech News

This book provides much needed context and analysis to be able to understand recent Russian interventions in Crimea and and eastern Ukraine and how to deter Russia on the Eastern borders of NATO.

-- Eye Spy Magazine

The ... book offers an efficient overview of trends in Russian military thought since the collapse of the Soviet Union paired with detailed examinations of the two major subjects that have defined those trends: information warfare and color revolutions.

-- Strategy Bridge

In this well-documented review of Russia’s understanding of war, Jonsson provides an insightful analysis of the profound differences between Western and Russian perceptions of key 21st-century global events.

-- Choice

While many geopolitical works superimpose (albeit often subconsciously) the assumptions of the analyst upon that which is being analyzed (mirror imaging), The Russian Understanding of War seeks to pierce Moscow’s strategic calculus and the “nuances of the Russian language” ... to answer the question, “Has the Russian understanding of the nature of war changed, and if so, how?”

-- Strategic Studies Quarterly

Oscar Jonsson’s The Russian Understanding of War is a valuable addition to the corpus of knowledge on Russia’s military thinking about war.

-- Joint Forces Quarterly

Jonsson offers an interesting illumination of Russian thinking.

-- RUSI

Drawing on a systematic and exhaustive reading of Russian doctrinal documents and military theory, Jonsson’s thesis is simple: the Russian military’s conception has fundamentally changed in the last decade.

-- Russian Review

What this timely and wellresearched book does is nicely encapsulate both change and continuity in Russian military doctrine and capabilities, sum- marizing the most influential thinkers within Russia and drawing from primary documents.

-- Political Science Quarterly

The Russian Understanding of War is an excellent work for anyone looking to understand Russian perspectives on the nature of conflict.

-- Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC)

"The Russian Understanding of War is an excellent work for anyone looking to understand Russian perspectives on the nature of conflict."

-- McLean Panter Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC)

The Russian Understanding of War brings important light to several intersecting and imperfectly understood topics about Russian strategic thought, as well as about the Kremlin's perspective about and use of information warfare. The book is well structured for addressing its complex subject matter in earnest. This is a valuable addition to the literature on twenty-first-century security issues.

-- H-Net

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

1 The Soviet Understanding of War Soviet Military Science The Cause of War The Nature of War War as an Instrument of Politics Evgeny Messner Conclusion

2 The Russian Understanding of War after the Dissolution of the Soviet Union The 1990s: Continuity The 2000s: Confusion The 2010s: Change Conclusion

3 Information Warfare The Information Security Doctrines Information-Technical Warfare Information-Psychological Warfare Conclusion

4 Color Revolutions The Political View The Military View Conclusion

Conclusion Policy Implications

References IndexAbout the Author