Soviet and Russian Press Coverage of the United States: Press, Politics and Identity in Transition(St Antony's Series)

This text examines changing Soviet and Russian press coverage of the United States from the emergence of Mikhail Gorbachev through the re-election victory of Boris Yeltsin as Russian president in 1996. 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.

Table of Contents:
Preface to the 2002 Edition Acknowledgements Introduction PART I: Politics and the Press Press Systems Soviet Communications Policy Glasnost vs Freedom of Information PART II: Soviet and Russian Images of the United States 'Otherness, ' Enmity and Envy in Soviet Images of the United States US/Soviet Relations in the Gorbachev Period Changing Images of American Military and Foreign Policy Images of Domestic America The Russian Press and Images of the United States Conclusion Afterword Notes Index

About the Author :
Jonathan A. Becker is the Dean of Students and Professor of Political Science at Bard College.

Review :
'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, makingthe book a solid investigation into a recent and critical period in Soviet and Russian history.' - David J. Galloway, Slavonic and East European Journal