The Nato Russia Relationship

This book examines the current state of relations between NATO and Russia, discussing a number of key areas, including the impact of NATO's eastward expansion, the NATO-Russia Council and Russia's reassertion of itself in its "near abroad", and assesses the prospects for future development.

This book explores mutual common ground between Russia and NATO and the potential to move beyond cultural differences, particularly in political culture. Lionel Ponsard clearly demonstrates how cooperative security could serve as a means to bridge the gap between two supposedly antagonistic entities: NATO and Russia. He skilfully shows that by building confidence between the two parties about each other’s intentions, cooperative security can regulate attitudes that might otherwise lead to misperception. Focusing on the peculiarity of NATO-Russia relations, this unique book adopts the Russian approach to these relations, drawing on Ponsard’s deep expertise. Three clear parts of this volume articulate this original work: the definition of the Russian identity, Russia’s attitude to NATO and the question of cooperation in Russia-NATO relations. The analysis of the Russian identity sheds some light on what happened to this relationship in the past several years and offers key lessons for today’s considerations of the nation. Difficulties that have arisen since the end of the Soviet Union until the creation of the NATO-Russia Council in 2002 are also stressed and interpreted, adding to an excellent analysis of one of the key areas in contemporary security. This book will be of great interest to all students of NATO, security studies, Russian studies and international relations in general.

This is the first comprehensive analysis of the development of relations between Russia and NATO since 1991. Since the re-emergence of Russia as an independent state in December 1991, debates and controversies surrounding its evolving relations with NATO have been a prominent feature of the European security scene. This is the first detailed and comprehensive book-length analysis of Russia-NATO relations, covering the years 1991-2005. This new volume investigates the nature and substance of the ‘partnership’ relations that have developed between Russia and NATO since the end of the Cold War. It looks at the impact that the Kosovo crisis, September 11th, the Iraq War and the creation of the NATO-Russia Council have on this complex relationship. The author concludes that Russia and NATO have, so far, developed a pragmatic partnership, but one that may potentially develop into a more significant strategic partnership. This book will appeal to students and scholars of international relations, European politics and European security.

Relations between Russia and NATO--not the enlargement of NATO--is the main issue in European security. A Treaty on Cooperation or a Mutual Security Treaty are the most realistic options for legally binding arrangements between NATO and Russia. Either treaty would require Russia and NATO to agree, inter alia, to neither station forces in border territories nor use military threats against any neighboring states, to continue the de-nuclearization process, and update arms control treaties. The institutionalization of security cooperation between NATO and Russia requires the creation of an architecture for permanent coordination of foreign and military policies. Russian political participation at the annual NATO summits, involvement in NATO ministerial committees, and the establishment of liaison missions at the military headquarters of both sides would facilitate cooperation.

How do once bitter enemies move beyond entrenched rivalry at the diplomatic level? In one of the first attempts to apply practice theory to the study of International Relations, Vincent Pouliot builds on Pierre Bourdieu's sociology to devise a theory of practice of security communities and applies it to post-Cold War security relations between NATO and Russia. Based on dozens of interviews and a thorough analysis of recent history, Pouliot demonstrates that diplomacy has become a normal, though not a self-evident, practice between the two former enemies. He argues that this limited pacification is due to the intense symbolic power struggles that have plagued the relationship ever since NATO began its process of enlargement at the geographical and functional levels. So long as Russia and NATO do not cast each other in the roles that they actually play together, security community development is bound to remain limited.

"NATO and Russia are developing a new relationship as a critical part of integrating Russia into the West. The allies and Russia will meet together as equals in a NATO-Russia Council-to consult, cooperate, and, in some critical areas, decide on common action. The authors of this report, with a wealth of academic and senior government experience in the United States and Russia, argue that action-what NATO and Russia actually do together-is more important than "architecture," that is, how the new Council is constructed and operates. Despite continuing differences (e.g., on NATO enlargement) the authors argue that NATO-Russian relations can and should be organized to promote greater stability, take into account other European states' interests, promote joint decisionmaking, and pursue a practical agenda of common tasks both in Europe and beyond. NATO and Russia should immediately begin modest "demonstration projects," using early successes to promote future cooperation. Efforts should be in areas where NATO and Russia have shared interests, including aspects of counterterrorism, emergency response, nonproliferation, peacekeeping (including doctrine and exercises), and military exchanges."--Rand abstracts.