Cultural Imperialism and the Decline of the Liberal Order: Russian and Western Soft Power in Eastern Europe

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The end of the Cold War heralded in a new era for liberalism. Eastern European states adopted democracy and capitalism to gain acceptance by the West. Yet, a mere two decades later, liberalism was in crisis. The rise of illiberal democracies and nationalist movements in the second decade of the twenty-first century have left scholars baffled. How could this happen Dr's. Davis and Slobodchikoff show that the decline of the liberal order lies within its own ideology: as it champions freedom, liberalism requires its adherents to give up their cultural traditions and adopt the global ethos to be legitimate. Through a systematic analysis of Western and Russian soft power in Poland and Serbia, the authors explain the decline of liberalism and the battle over the balance of power in Eastern Europe.

Reviews

A prescient analysis of the decline of the liberal order and the rise of nationalism in Eastern Europe. A must read for all scholars or international affairs enthusiasts at a time when nationalism and populism rapidly spread throughout both Eastern and Western Europe as well as North America and many other regions of the world. -- Andrei V. Korobkov, Middle Tennessee State University
Davis and Slobodchikoff analyze how the West and Russia globally promote their culture and ideas and how smaller Eastern European nations become dependent on outsiders at the expense of their own traditions. The authors argue the mutually reactive and zero-sum nature of the Russia-Western competition in which soft power becomes a hostage of the larger geopolitical struggle. A very troubling state of affairs. -- Andrei P. Tsygankov, San Francisco State University
In this ground-breaking book, Slobodchikoff and Davis examine the contending power strategies and contrasting hegemonic practices of Russia and the West. Firmly grounded in the theoretical literature, the authors provide rich empirical analysis of soft power and cultural conflicts drawing on the examples of Poland and Serbia. This hard-hitting and original study is essential reading for all those interested in the shifting balance of power in the international system today. -- Richard Sakwa, University of Kent

Author Bio

G. Doug Davis is associate professor of political science at Troy University. Michael O. Slobodchikoff is associate professor of political science at Troy University.