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This article assesses Russian strategic narratives towards its interventions in Georgia (2008) and Ukraine (2014–16) based on a new database of 50 statements posted on the websites of the Russian Mission to the United Nations and the President of Russia homepage. By looking more broadly at Russian strategic narratives aimed at persuading other global actors and publics abroad and at home, this article identifies how Russia attempted to develop a story that could win global acceptance. This analysis shows that contrary to traditional Russian emphasis on sovereign responsibility and non-intervention, Russia supported claims for self-determination by separatist groups in Georgia and Ukraine. Russia used deception and disinformation in its strategic narratives as it mis-characterized these conflicts using Responsibility to Protect (R2P) language, yet mostly justified its own interventions through references to other sources of international law. Russian strategic narratives focused on delegitimizing the perceived opponents, making the case for the appropriateness of its own actions, and projecting what it proposed as the proper solution to the conflicts. It largely avoided making any references to its own involvement in the Donbas at all. Additionally, Russia’s focus on the protection of co-ethnics and Russian-speakers is reminiscent of interventions in the pre-R2P era.

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This co-edited volume was motivated by debates among Arab American studies scholars over anti-Arab racism and discrimination in the United States during the last several decades. The book examines theories of racialization within Arab American studies, and illustrates how racialization has affected Arab American citizenship and civic engagement. In the background of an ongoing national debate surrounding the erection of the Park51 mosque and community center in New York City, and numerous other instances of alleged discrimination toward Arabs and Muslims in the U.S., this book is particularly timely. It highlights the heterogeneity of Arab American histories and ''the shifting and contradictory historical contexts through which Arab Americans have engaged with immigration, assimilation, and racialization'' (p. 4). Many chapters demonstrate that 9 ⁄ 11 constituted a turning point, not a starting point, for anti-Arab discrimination in the U.S. The contributors provide a comprehensive account of relevant experiences of several Arab and Muslim communities across the U.S., and analyze identity construction and popular images of Arabs and Muslims in the U.S.