The Lands in Between: Russia vs. the West and the New Politics of Hybrid War

by Mitchell A Orenstein

Russia's stealth invasion of Ukraine and its assault on the US elections in 2016 forced a reluctant West to grapple with the effects of hybrid war. While most citizens in the West are new to the problems of election hacking, state-sponsored disinformation campaigns, influence operations by foreign security services, and frozen conflicts, citizens of the frontline states between Russia and the European Union have been dealing with these issues for years.

The Lands in Russia vs. the West and the New Politics of Russia's Hybrid War contends that these "lands in between" hold powerful lessons for Western countries. For Western politics is becoming increasingly similar to the lands in between, where hybrid warfare has polarized parties and voters into two those who support a Western vision of liberal democracy and those who support a Russian vision of nationalist authoritarianism. Paradoxically, while politics increasingly boils down to a zero sum "civilizational choice" between Russia and the West, those who rise to the pinnacle of the political system in the lands in between are often non-ideological power brokers who have found a way to profit from both sides, taking rewards from both Russia and the West. Increasingly, the political pathologies of these small, vulnerable, and backwards states in Europe are our problems too. In this deepening conflict, we are all lands in between.

Genres: Russia, Politics

250 pages, Hardcover

Published May 2, 2019

Reviews

[Rennie Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What to do about Putin?

I was going to say "What to do about Russia?", but it's not Russia that's the problem as much as Putin.

This book details the many ways that Putin is causing huge problems, especially in the "lands in between", but also for the whole world. It's very well written and very detailed, and contained a lot of information I was unfamiliar with.

Only problem is that now I'm having more trouble sleeping at night ...

[Andrew Figueiredo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orenstein (a Penn professor!) proposes an interesting thesis that Russia is waging a hybrid war for influence and that those who profit the most are power brokers who know how to play off both sides. I also think he's right on the mark in noting how Russia and NATO/EU countries are engaged in a security dilemma where the West's retaliatory actions make Russia feel more embattled and seek to expand its own power. He also correctly notes that Russia reset was a failed policy predicated on Medvedev supposedly being a liberalizer, instead of a Putin puppet.

I find Orenstein's thesis fitting for EEC countries as well as the areas he calls "the lands in between", but his attempt to extrapolate it into a Western context (including the US) seems a little less supported. The author's discussion of countries like Moldova, Bulgaria, and Armenia is useful and informational. That loses its luster when he moves westward; Russia is surely interfering in the EU and the US to undermine stability without military intervention but Orenstein doesn't acknowledge enough how different the underlying context is in Western Europe and North America. Thus, he risks overstating the threat level by simplifying causation. Our elections are now seen as extra polarizing, but the influence of Russia is likely not a huge factor in this. While he does mention other reasons for the stakes of today's elections, I don't see enough discussion of the predicates that make an alternative model attractive to those tired of a broken elite. American elections, and most Western European ones, are still not waged on geopolitics.

Initially, I felt like he didn't grapple enough with the complex ways the Trump administration has dealt with Russia. Take the clear links Russia had to many Trump campaign officials but also the passage of tough sanctions under this administration. It's not quite straightforward, but I ended up realizing that Orenstein correctly notes that Trump's role as a geopolitical powerbroker, which has led Eastern European leaders to zig and zag. For the current President, that's the case not only with Russia but also with China, North Korea, and other adversarial powers. At the end of the day, Orenstein proposes some good ideas for how to push back on Russian influence. Stronger partnerships with our allies in and out of the EU, more investigations into ties with Russia in business and government, acknowledgement that they seek to create a sphere of influence, combatting money laundering and cyberwarfare. Even if I think his conclusion that "we too are the lands in between" is overly simplistic, Orenstein does a good job laying out Russia's foreign policy strategy and providing constructive commentary.

[Chase Metcalf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author provides real insight into the competition between Russia and the West that is playing out across Central/Eastern Europe and in the core nations of the West. Russia’s actions are driven by their own historical insecurity and desire to be treated as a great power. The author describes Russia’s approach, provides detail and perspective on how effective it has been, and links this to the increased polarization and societal tensions in the West.

Ultimately the author asserts Russia and the West are engaged in a pitched battle for the political future of Europe. Either the West’s vision of a rule-bound, liberal order or Russia’s vision of a great-power Europe dominated by authoritarian rulers will prevail. The book does a superb job outlining Russian interests, approach to securing them, and Western vulnerabilities as well as some broad responses.

While some may find the authors narrative alarmist it is worth reading to understand the fundamentals of the ongoing competition between Russia and the West and the risks this poses to the current system. In the end the author is providing a warning while noting the outcome is far from certain if the West addresses some of its vulnerabilities the Russians have so successfully exploited.

[Perry Patton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. Takes a holistic look at the issues in today’s Central and Eastern European countries, which involve Western global interests as well. I really enjoyed at how Orenstein dives into individual countries and explains their interests, rather than just the interests of the EU or NATO. A book like this will of course involve politics, and I wish Orenstein would have been a bit more clear of his own political views in order to inform readers of where he is coming from. But overall, a good read, I will recommend it to others interested in this topic

[Mikael Mannelin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The lands in between makes some good points, but it is also a very repetitive. At times the author, rather than providing "evidence" of his findings, just repeats his conclusions. I would have preferred some depths in the examples and cases the author highlights. I can't escape the feeling that this book would've benefited from being much thinner or that it could've been a "long read" article in a newspaper or weekly magazine.

[Alex NeSmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this!! it’s honestly such a good explanation of the development of Russian relations and foreign policy that is academic + easy to digest. He may give too much credit to foreign disinformation in creating United States political polarization — it’s important to look inward at the pressure points that are present and can then be exacerbated by foreign intelligence— but that’s just a slight personal critique

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick, easy, and hugely insightful book touching on most, if not all, of the important topics applicable to discussing the great power conflict between the West and Russia. It should be mandatory reading for all!