Do the EU and NATO threaten Russian security? The book explores the rise of these exclusive 'inter-democratic' security institutions after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the ensuing effects on relations with Russia. Two competing theories are tested to explore whether these institutions aggravate or mitigate the security dilemma with Russia. These institutions can be theorised to promote security as a positive-sum game through European integration and democracy promotion, or pursue collective hegemony with ideologically uncompromising bloc-politics. Glenn Diesen argues that a European security architecture that demotes the largest state on the continent to an object of security inevitably results in 'European integration' becoming a zero-sum geopolitical project that has set the West on a collision course with Russia.
Do the EU and NATO threaten Russian security? This book explores the rise of these exclusive 'inter-democratic' security institutions after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the ensuing effects on relations with Russia. Two competing theories are tested to explore whether these institutions aggravate or mitigate the security dilemma with Russia. Glenn Diesen argues that a European security architecture that demotes the largest state on the continent to an object of security inevitably results in 'European integration' becoming a zero-sum geopolitical project that has set the West on a collision course with Russia.
'In this innovative, theoretically grounded and systematic study, Glenn Diesen shows how the attempts by the EU and NATO to construct a security community in Europe have exacerbated the security dilemma with Russia. The arguments in this fine book are crucial to our understanding of the international relations of the European continent since the collapse of the Soviet Union.' Graeme Gill, The University of Sydney, Australia 'In the light of the Ukraine crisis and the Russian annexation of Crimea, this is a timely and important book. Glenn Diesen provides a well-argued and theoretically rich critique of Western policy towards Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union. His analysis challenges many of the mainstream liberal assumptions that have shaped relations between Europe and Russia, and offers a fresh interpretation of the steady deterioration in relations between the two sides. This is a book that deserves to be widely read and discussed.' Adrian Hyde-Price, Gothenburg University, Sweden
