Latest Publications
Russia’s Rising Military and Communication Power: From Chechnya to Crimea
with James Rodgers
Media, War, & Society
Most scholars working on Russia’s use of strategic narratives recognize the importance of the Russian state. Nevertheless, the authors argue that much of the attention on strategic narratives has given insufficient appreciation for how Russia has developed its military and media policies in a coordinated manner: learning from its mistakes and failures as it went along, and becoming more efficient each time. In making their case, they examine three theatres of Russian military activity and their accompanying media coverage: the wars in Chechnya in 1994–1995 and 1999–2000; war with Georgia in 2008 over the separatist territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia; and Ukraine, especially Crimea, since 2014. The Russian leadership addressed the shortcomings on each occasion, with the news media being increasingly weaponized as time went on. The authors argue that scholars should see Russia’s evolving uses of those military and media power resources as part of a single strategic process. How the Russian state goes about its media policy can accentuate the military intervention for better or for worse as far as its image is concerned.
About Me
My name is Alexander Lanoszka. I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and in the Balsillie School of International Affairs at the University of Waterloo. I am also the Ernest Bevin Associate Fellow of Euro-Atlantic Geopolitics at the newly created Council on Geostrategy. I am a co-leader of the European NATO subgroup of the Defense and Security Foresight Group and a member of the Réseau d'Analyse Stratégique. I am currently on sabbatical at Sciences Po Bordeaux.
I was previously a Lecturer in the Department of International Politics at City, University of London, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College, and a Stanton Nuclear Security Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT's Security Studies Program. I completed my doctorate in the Department of Politics at Princeton University in 2014.
My research addresses issues in alliance politics, nuclear strategy, and theories of war, and has appeared in International Security, Security Studies, International Affairs, and elsewhere. My books include Atomic Assurance: The Alliance Politics of Nuclear Proliferation (Cornell, 2018) and Military Alliances in the Twenty-First Century (Polity, 2022). I have done work on East Asia but Europe is my primary regional focus, with special emphasis on Central and Northeastern Europe. I have two places that I consider home: Windsor-Detroit and Krakow, Poland.
On this website, you will find information about my books, monographs, and published articles as well as information on my academic research, teaching, and commentary.
LATEST NEWS
CoG PODCAST
25 NOVEMBER 2021
Alongside James Rogers, I spoke with Viktorija Starych-Samuolienė for a podcast episode regarding our new Council on Geostrategy report. Written with Mark Galeotti, this report is entitled The Black Sea: Beyond NATO and is available here. The podcast link is here.
SABBATICAL TALK
2 DECEMBER 2021
As part of my sabbatical at Sciences Po Bordeaux, I will be speaking about my forthcoming book Military Alliances in the Twenty-First Century at Centre Emile Durkheim on 2 December 2021. If you are in the area, then feel free to attend! The registration link is here.
CDAI INTERVIEW
29 NOVEMBER 2021
I gave an interview with the Conference of Defence Associations Institute (Canada) on Russia's military build-up on Ukraine's borders as well as on what can be done to improve local resiliency and security among NATO partners and allies in the Black Sea Region. It is available here.
What I am reading now
When in Bordeaux, it makes sense to spend some time learning about the Hundred Years' War. Georges Minois's tome may be long, but it is very readable and expertly written. A literary investment as any.
