Romanian Journal of European Affairs (Sep 2015)
The Changing Nature of Security in Europe: the Triangle between Russia’s New Foreign Policy, the CSDP and NATO
Abstract
Russia’s new foreign policy appears to be a potential turning point for the Euro-Atlantic security context. Having come as a surprise to many, some senior Western officials and politicians have talked of a changed European security landscape, and argued that the current situation creates new security realities for the twenty-first century and, at the same time, demands a significant response from NATO. The “triangle” formed by Russia – EU – NATO is a mirror of a number of wider and longer-term problems that have been increasingly visible for some time. Arguably, the most notable is related to the intensifying sense of strategic dissonance between Russia and the West. It is a fact that this relationship – particularly in terms of European security – has been deteriorating for some time. The developments in Ukraine and the ongoing crisis in the region is also a reason for the need of a new strategic framework. Europe is no longer limited to the European Union; this will still require undertaking certain actions closely connected to the security aspect of the relations between EU and Russia, Russia and NATO, and the EU and NATO respectively. Within the present paper we will give a general overview of the current threats to the CSDP of the EU, especially according to the new role of Russia in the Ukraine crisis, and in connection with NATO’s role as a security provider for the Old Continent.
