Bertil NygrenF.D., docent
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Russia and Europe. Putin's Foreign Policy (Together with Yuri Fedorov)This anthology deals with the relations between the three Slavic countries that emerged from the demise of the USSR, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The fundamental underlying question in the book is whether or not there are any prospects of a Slavic (Re)Union, as a reaction to the NATO and EU enlargement processes. This question is approached from different angles and perspectives, from three country perspectives (Russia, Ukraine and Belarus) an from the ideational perspective, the military strategic and the political and economic perspectives. There are basically three reasons for the revival of the Slavic Union idea: the inter-connectedness of the economies, the culture of the political elites, and the ethnic-linguistic factor. The answer to the basic question, to the extent that there is one such answer, is that the prospects for a true Slavic Union are less than minimal at present, that the centrifugal forces are stronger than the centripetal, despite the political rethorics at elections, and within the red-brown political bloc. Most importantly, Russia is not even interested in a re-imperialisation at the moment, and the relations involving two of the three Slavic countries are rather based on economism and pragmatism (Russia and Ukraine), and the Russian and Ukrainian political drift westward has rather left Belarus behind, and Belarus thus constitutes more of a burden to Russia and Ukraine than an ally. Although the idea of a Slavic Union is dead for the time being, the issue will tend to pop up again every time the West tries to isolate Russia and her neighbors from European and western affairs.
ContentsIntroduction Russia and Europe, or Russia in Europe? Europe-how prominent a place in the Russian
mind? The economic relationship between Russia and
Europe: current situation and emerging trends Russia's relationship to Europe in Slavophile
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