Regional Orders
Regional Orders

Structural Sources of Europe’s Divide

Summary/Abstract: The paper attempts to examine regional orders after the collapse of communism applying an analytical framework that we have developed for this purpose. The framework combines Daron Acemonglu’s and James Robinson’s approach to the study of social dynamics, our model of transition from communism, and Etel Solingen’s approach to study conflict / cooperation and international/nationalist strategies pursued by domestic ruling coalitions. We also develop measures of moving within and between political and economic institutional structures, extractive and inclusive. Our analytical framework provides tools to examine change in terms of institutions and corresponding grand strategies, stability of regional alliances shaped by the distribution of power in the region, and constraints imposed on national strategies. The application of this framework to post-Cold War Europe points to a diverse group of countries revolving around two distinct poles or hubs – the EU and Russian Federation – and in-between. Two poles have contrasting institutional structures and follow mutually excluding grand strategies. Russia together with its spokes orchestrated transition within extractive or illiberal institutional regimes. Moscow’s adherence to Imperialist Grand Strategy clashes with Internationalist Grand Strategy of EU members turning European space into the combination of the zone of confrontation in Russia’s relations with the EU and the zone of permanent peace in relations amongst other European nations that excludes RF.

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