RUSSIA, THE EUROPEAN UNION AND NATO. FLEXIBILITY AND FIRMNESS
RUSSIA, THE EUROPEAN UNION AND NATO. FLEXIBILITY AND FIRMNESS

Summary/Abstract: The political system of Russia as it has been built up by Putin and which favors the enrichment of a tiny minority around Putin depends on the latter’s ability to keep the standard of living of the average citizen on an acceptable level. This has worked during the first years of Putin’s rule at the turn of the millennia, but was then due to Russia’s rich income from the export of oil and gas. At that time, the Putin government missed the opportunity to modernize Russia’s infrastructure; and when the price of oil and gas on the world market fell to an unexpected low for an unprecedented length of time, Putin was not able to keep the standard of living at its former level. Since this led to protests and was likely to endanger Putin’s rule in Russia, he accused “foreign powers” with interfering in Russian affairs and of threatening the “natural Russian interests” in former Soviet republics bordering on Russia.Ever since the tensions in the Caucasian region originating from Russia’s support to separatists who really or allegedly wanted break away from Georgia resulting in the Caucasian War of 2008, Putin has tried to destabilize other successor states of the Soviet Union if their governments were tending to the West and expressed aspirations to becoming integrated into the European Union and members of NATO. Ukraine is an alarming example of what could happen to these countries if they ignore Putin’s wishes.The West is called upon to render, to such countries, all the support necessary to withstand Russia’s pressure. This would keep Putin’s foreign ambitions at bay because he is not eager to get into a serious conflict with the West, a conflict which would be likely to undermine the domestic political system in Russia and endanger the grip of Putin and his clique on the remaining wealth of Russia. For this reason, Putin’s military posturing should not be taken too serious and should not keep the West from standing up against any of Russia’s imperialist threats.

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