NATO-Russia Relations after 9/11: New Challenges, Old Issues

This chapter provides an analysis of NATO-Russia relations from 9/11 to the alliance’s announcement of its phased withdrawal from Afghanistan. While in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon NATO’s relations with Moscow appeared to experience a qualitative revitalization — which was formalized through the establishment of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) in 2002 — the events of 9/11 did not affect the fundamental dynamics of relations between the alliance and Moscow. NATO-Russia relations continue to be shaped by structural divergences that predated 9/11 and have their roots in the post-Cold War international settlement and Russia’s junior partner status within it; they stretch from missile and conventional defence to NATO enlargement and globalization and energy security. The Obama administration’s announcement of a ‘reset’ in relations with Moscow in 2009, although leading to a resumption of cooperation after the 2008 Russian-Georgian war, failed to usher in a solid and long-term engagement. The chapter proceeds in four sections. It begins with a short summary of NATO-Russia relations since 9/11. It then lays out the main theoretical frameworks which have been used to explain relations between the alliance and Moscow: liberal, social-constructivist, and realist ideas about, and prescriptions for, NATO-Russia relations; the next section applies all sets of perspectives to the record of key post-9/11 NATO-Russia relations; the final section discusses the prospects for NATO-Russia relations after the financial crisis and the alliance’s forthcoming withdrawal from Afghanistan.