The Geopolitics of Culture: James Billington, the Library of Congress, and the Failed Quest for a New Russia

The Geopolitics of Culture examines culture as a neglected area of US foreign policy, highlighting James Billington's influence on US engagement with Russia during a key period of transition. Billington's efforts led to cooperation between the Library of Congress and Russian cultural and political institutions, but ultimately failed as Putin turned back toward authoritarianism. The experience of the Library of Congress holds important lessons for today, as a transition to democracy in Russia is essential to head off the geopolitical nightmare of a Eurasia dominated by an alliance of hostile authoritarian powers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 378 pages
Publication date: 15 June 2024
Publisher: Cornell University Press

The Geopolitics of Culture, written by James Billington and published during a significant period of US-Russian relations, explores the neglected area of culture in US foreign policy. Billington, as the Librarian of Congress, advised presidents and members of Congress and utilized the resources of the Library of Congress to promote reform in Russia. He believed that exposing the rising generation of Russian leaders to the best of America and encouraging them to rediscover positive elements in pre-Bolshevik Russian culture was more effective than preaching to them. The book chronicles Billington's influence on US engagement with Russia during the transition from communism to democracy under Gorbachev and Yeltsin and back to authoritarianism under Yeltsin and Putin. Drawing on published and archival sources and interviews with current and retired Library of Congress staff members, John Van Oudenaren provides new insights into this era. Billington's efforts resulted in significant cooperation between the Library of Congress and Russian cultural and political institutions, but these efforts ultimately failed as Putin turned back toward authoritarianism. The experience of the Library of Congress during this period holds important lessons for today, as Billington believed that a transition to democracy in Russia was essential to prevent the geopolitical nightmare of a Eurasia dominated by an alliance of hostile authoritarian powers. The geopolitics of culture remains a challenge for US foreign policy.

Weight: 907g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501775765