Russia-NATO: Prospects of Cooperation

One of the major issues directly concerning the relations between Russia and NATO is the Alliance’s enlargement and accession of new members, the former Soviet republics (Ukraine and Georgia) to the Alliance, and also the issue of consequences of the open door policy followed by NATO and Russia’s attitude to this policy.

Now it is clear that in the course of enlargement NATO is turning into a more and more efficient organization. However, this does not lessen the threats connected with NATO enlargement, above all because the Alliance is establishing a new framework of interrelations within which the unexpected bilateral relations are being formed. For example, relations between the USA and Czech Republic or the USA and Poland have nothing to do with the issues of NATO enlargement or NATO transformation. For all that, they change the relations between Russia and the Western countries. [more]