Will Russia Return to Europe?
- Autores: Andrei Kortunov
- Localización: Notes internacionals CIDOB, ISSN-e 2013-4428, Nº. 213, 2019, págs. 1-7
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
Today’s liberal discourse both in Europe and in Russia proceeds from the idea that Russia is destined to come back. Thus Europe does not have any reason for concern.
Yet this narrative depends on a single condition: for Russia to “return,” Europe itself needs to be static and unchanging for decades. But the European world that existed two or three decades ago is no more.
The old social contract between the Russian authorities and society was breached by the former. Nationalism, xenophobia and militarism became the main sources of new legitimacy for the authorities.
Russia found itself by the wayside of European security and failed to become a major stakeholder in the “European project”, which ultimately determined Russia’s turn towards Asia.
Russia is currently lagging behind the average growth rate of the Asian economies by 4 per cent (by 5 per cent in the case of China and India).
As partners, the authoritarian or semi-authoritarian regimes in Asia are more comprehensible and reliable than European democracies.
Paradoxically, the only realistic path for Russia to return to Europe today is through Asia.
