The Fortunes of Russia-NATO Dialogue and European Security

The article focuses on the key aspects of Russia-NATO interaction in the realm of Euro-Atlantic security against the backdrop of a current tense international situation. As the author argues, recent events, notably the accession of Crimea into the Russian Federation and the situation in and around Ukraine have further deteriorated the relations of both sides, which sometimes resemble that of the Cold War era. The European region witnesses growing military tensions, further poisoned by the new deployments in Central and Eastern Europe on both sides. This leads to a military standoff and the rupture of almost all bilateral ties between NATO and Russia. The Alliance regained a new purpose for its operations, related to the territorial defense of its members. Meanwhile, the rhetoric of both parties and their mutual perception evolved into outright hostility. This does not mean, however, that Moscow and the West should refrain from efforts to improve the situation and normalize relations. Moreover, the parties, already, demonstrate some signals of interest in restoring dialogue. In this context, the author proposes a set of preliminary constructive steps which, hopefully, could alleviate the current tensions and lead to a renewed substantive dialogue of Russia and NATO partners over the issues of regional stability and security. The opportunities for progress are seen primarily within the realm of increasing transparency as well as in establishing additional avenues for institutionalized dialogue between Russia and the West. Apart from the bilateral Russia-NATO formats, OSCE and its various mechanisms could play an important role of facilitator.

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