Not One Inch

America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate

By: M.E. Sarotte

Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt

A leading expert on foreign policy reveals how tensions between America, NATO, and Russia transformed geopolitics in a Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2021

"Sarotte is the unofficial dean of 'end of Cold War' studies.... With her latest book, she tackles head-on the not-controversial-at-all questions about NATO’s eastward growth and the effect it had on Russia's relations with the west." (Daniel W. Drezner, Washington Post)

"The most engaging and carefully documented account of this period in East-West diplomacy currently available." (Andrew Moravscik, Foreign Affairs)

Based on over a hundred interviews and on secret records of White House - Kremlin contacts, Not One Inch shows how the United States successfully overcame Russian resistance in the 1990s to expand NATO to more than 900 million people. But it also reveals how Washington's hardball tactics transformed the era between the Cold War and the present day, undermining what could have become a lasting partnership.

Vladimir Putin swears that Washington betrayed a promise that NATO would move "not one inch" eastward and justifies renewed confrontation as a necessary response to the alliance's illegitimate "deployment of military infrastructure to our borders." But the United States insists that neither President George H. W. Bush nor any other leader made such a promise.

Pulling back the curtain on U.S.-Russian relations in the critical years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and Putin's rise to power, prize-winning Cold War historian M. E. Sarotte reveals the bitter clashes over NATO behind the facade of friendship and comes to a sobering conclusion: the damage did not have to happen. In this deeply researched and compellingly written book, Sarotte shows what went wrong.

©2021 M. E. Sarotte (P)2022 Tantor

important stuff.

it's a great starting point if you want to know more about how the world got in this terrible mess it is currently in.

Fascinating, well-researched & timely

I thought that I had a good understanding of the history of NATO expansion, but this book really expanded my understanding. It is well-argued and provides a valuable perspective on NATO expansion that connects well to today’s U.S.-Russia relationship.

Unresolved Order: 30 Years On

In contrast to the new world order established in Europe following WW2, the decline and demise of the Soviet Union preserved the seeds of future conflict between the world and Russia. In the late 1980's and early 1990's the author describes a short window where many different outcomes were possible to heal the wounds of the Cold War. While opportunities identified and cultivated from this period led to a period of global peace and economic growth, the unresolved issues of the time continue to weigh over Europe more than 30 years onward. If you're curious about the conflict of Russia and Ukraine, or about Russia's isolation from the rest of the world, the foundation is covered in this relevant, and timely book.

Thorough

Wonderfully thorough and well-sourced accounting of the thinking and decisions behind post-Soviet expansion of NATO. Provides thoughtful study of immediate and broader repercussions throughout the entire decade.

Informative history but tead too fast

This book provides a very well researched and informative history of US-Russian relations from the collapse of the Berlin Wall to the present day. It helps the reader understand the geopolitical shifts on the European continent that contributed to the current invadion of Ukraine. I highly recommend this book but personally would have preferred reading the print version. The narrator reads too fast. I was very interested in the subject matter but had difficulty processing the information at the speed at which it was presented, which was rapid fire. I constantly had to go back and replay (and I am a prolific reader of non-fiction). It was tiring and very annoying. The only reason I could follow it at all was because I lived through the era and took a few college courses on Russian history. For such a heavy subject matter, the narrator should have read more slowly.

Relevant to where we are today in Ukraine

Interesting narratives from behind the scenes how NATO expanded and came into being in the last 30 years

Wonderful book. Must read.

The author has done such a great research. For the first time we have been introduced from the German side of story.

Great work

A must read if you want to understand the conflict in Ukraine. Future historians will definitely use it.

Thorough, neutral and fact-dense

Absolute mesmerizing, well researched recounting of a formative period. Not being a witness benefits the author in their focus on sources from all parties as opposed to recounting (potentially colored) memories.
It is fascinating how much happened in these short years and how fluid, unpredictable and volatile the situation was. Hidden ultimatums, late night negotiations in bathrobes, government infighting, economic collapse and pride all throw the future of europe around like a boat in a storm.
I would have liked the author to give more time to the economic woes Gorbatchov had to deal with and illustrate more the precarious security situation the former Warsaw Pact states and especially Soviet Republics found themselves in, which must have had a huge impact on their decision making.
But this is nitpicking, this is a stellar compilation of events and due to the sheer density of what happened a real nail-biter.

Solid book!

Great insight on post-cold war geopolitics. Obviously incredibly well researched. 4.5 stars because it dragged a bit in a few chapters.