The Evolution of Russia’s Cooperation with NATO (2000 – 2009): In Search of Durable Rapprochement with the Alliance?
The central objective of the proposed thesis is to contribute to a better understanding of Russian policy debates and policy making regarding the country’s relationship with NATO. The research will focus on the internal and external factors driving Russia’s NATO policy since the election of Vladimir Putin as president in 2000.
I am trying to analyze recent trends in Russia’s NATO policy because I strive to identify instances of Moscow’s active cooperation with the North Atlantic Alliance in order to better explain under what circumstances Russia can be expected to cooperate with NATO.
The thesis will focus on Russia’s oscillation between cooperation and confrontation with NATO and it will analyse the reasons for this apparently inconsistent approach. Drawing on a detailed study of Russia’s NATO policy since 2000, it will assess the extent to which Moscow’s attempts at rapprochement with the Alliance, the most prominently exemplified by Russia’s entry into the anti-terrorist coalition in the wake of 11 September 2001, are realistically sustainable. As an enlarging NATO remains the dominant security organisation in Europe, and Russia remains an important regional actor entrenched on the Alliance’s doorsteps, NATO-Russia relations represent one of the key issues of today’s European security debate.
Dr Bettina Renz and Prof Alex Danchev
EU Research Excellence Funding
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Russian foreign policy
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NATO/EU-Russia relations
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security issues in the post-Soviet space
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foreign policy analysis
“The Fundamentals of Contemporary Russia’s EU Policy”, Problems of Post-Communism, vol. 57, no. 5, September/October 2010.
“Russia as the West’s Elusive Ally in Afghanistan,” Turkish Policy Quarterly, vol. 9, no. 2 (due in November 2010).
“Breaking the security cooperation impasse? Inviting Russia to participate in EU and NATO armament programmes,” (with Tomas Karasek)a research paper commissioned by PASOS (slated to be presented at the upcoming PASOS conference in Berlin).
“Czech Foreign Policy towards North Caucasus,” Bulletin of Azerbaijani Studies, vol. 2, no.2 (in Czech) (forthcoming).
“EU’s Eastern Partnership: One step forward and two steps back?,” In Harvard International Review, vol. 30, no. 3, Fall 2009. Co-authored with Jan Hamacek
“Putin’s Foreign Policy in the run-up to the founding of the Nato-Russia Council,” In Central European Journal of International and Security Studies, vol. 3, no. 1, 2009.
“Russia and Near Abroad”, In Russia Question/Русский вопрос, vol. 22, no. 2, 2006.
Europe’s World (policy journal)
“A Bitter New Europe: Still Afraid of Its Own Shadow?” Co-authored with Jan Hamacek, 18 May 2010, http://www.europesworld.org/NewEnglish/Home_old/CommunityPosts/tabid/809/PostID/1423/language/en-US/Default.aspx
“EU and Russia in search of a new modus operandi: Time is running out,” 7 April 2010, http://www.europesworld.org/NewEnglish/Home_old/CommunityPosts/tabid/809/PostID/1301/language/en-US/Default.aspx
“Ukraine’s No to NATO re-examined: Not seeing the forest for the trees,” 18 July 2010,http://www.europesworld.org/NewEnglish/Home_old/CommunityPosts/tabid/809/PostID/1599/UkrainesNotoNATOreexaminedNotseeingtheforestforthetrees.aspx
“Russia’s new military doctrine: Is the reset over?” Co-authored with Prof. Yury Fedorov, 22 February 2010, http://www.europesworld.org/NewEnglish/Home_old/CommunityPosts/tabid/809/Default.aspx?PostID=1153&CurrentPage=0&filter=4
“Ukraine on the Eve of the January 2010 Presidential Election” Co-authored with Martin Larys, 15 December 2009, http://www.europesworld.org/NewEnglish/Home_old/CommunityPosts/tabid/809/PostID/1023/UkraineontheEveoftheJanuary2010Presidential.aspx
EU Observer
“NATO in Moscow, Moscow in NATO?,” co-authored with Michal Thim,
19 May 2010, http://euobserver.com/13/30077
“Is Ukraine turning its back on Europe?”
Co-authored with Martin Larys, 25 January 2010, http://euobserver.com/9/29326
The Moscow Times (October 23, 2009)
“Resetting NATO Relations” Co-authored with Donald K. Bandler
Foreign Policy Magazine Website
“Fear of a Weak Russia,” Co-authored with Donald K. Bandler, 5 August 2009, http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/08/05/fear_of_a_weak_russia
Atlantic Council
“Russia: A NATO Member?” Co-authored with Donald K. Bandler, 2 June 2010, http://www.acus.org/new_atlanticist/russia-nato-member-0
“In the Shadow of NATO Exercises in Georgia: How Moscow Stopped Worrying and Decided to Embrace NATO,” co-authored with Donald K. Bandler, 27 May 2009, http://www.acus.org/new_atlanticist/shadow-nato-exercises-georgia-how-moscow-stopped-worrying-and-decided-embrace-nato
Association for International Affairs
Co-editor of Energy Security in Central and Eastern Europe (Prague: Association for International Affairs 2008) ISBN 978-80-87092-01-9.
“Evropská Unie a Rusko: Sňatek z rozumu?” (European Union and Russia: Marriage of Convenience?), In Vaclav Nekvapil (ed.) In EU’s External Relations (Prague: Association for International Affairs 2008) ISBN 978-80-87092-00-2 .
“Recent Trends in Russian Foreign Policy”, 1 June 2006, http://www.amo.cz/publikace/recent-trends-in-russian-foreign-policy.html
Papers Presented at Conferences
Annual Convention of the American Association for Advancement of Slavic Studies, November 2009
Putin’s Foreign Policy and Founding of the NATO-Russia Council
Midwest Slavic Conference, March 2010
Fundamentals of Contemporary Russia’s EU
Grants/Awards
Grant Report for the Czech MFA: Contemporary Sino-Russia Relations (in Czech/completed in May 2009):
With researchers from the Charles University, Prague