Russia and the West: A Dangerous Drift

{
  "authors": [
    "Michael McFaul"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "russia",
  "programs": [
    "Russia and Eurasia"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Caucasus",
    "Russia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

In The Media

Russia and the West: A Dangerous Drift

Early in his tenure as general secretary of the Soviet Communist party, Mikhail Gorbachev took a radical first step toward reversing decades of Soviet isolation from the outside world with his quest for a "common European home."

By Michael McFaul

Published on Oct 1, 2005

Source: Current History

Presidents Bush and PutinEarly in his tenure as general secretary of the Soviet Communist party, Mikhail Gorbachev took a radical first step toward reversing decades of Soviet isolation from the outside world with his quest for a "common European home." Gorbachev eventually came to acknowledge that a common European home would mean that most of the change would have to come first from within the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union. But even as the monumental prerequisites for integration became clear, including the dismantling of command economies and authoritarian regimes and the creation of market and democratic institutions, Gorbachev stayed the course.

Reprinted with permission from Current History (October 2005) c 2005, Current History, Inc.

Click on the link above for the full text.

About the Author

Michael McFaul

Former Senior Associate

In addition to his role at Carnegie, McFaul is Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and associate professor of political science at Stanford University.

Recent Work

Article
Why a Democratic Russia Should Join NATO
- Леонид Гозман, Michael McFaul
Report
Russia at a Crossroads: Upcoming Elections Defining Issue
- Michael McFaul, Sanja Tatic

Foreign Policy Caucasus Russia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary
Strategic Europe
Trump Turns NATO into a Tool of Coercion
The full list of humiliations Europe has endured since Donald Trump returned to the White House makes for grim reading. But Washington’s adversarial approach to its allies undermines its own power base.
Rym Momtaz
Commentary
Strategic Europe
How the EU Can Become Energy Independent
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a global energy crisis, but Europe is stuck in reaction mode. Without more strategic foresight, the EU will remain dependent on fossil fuels and will never be truly secure.
Milo McBride, Pauline Gerard
Commentary
Deciphering Europe’s Relationship with Turkey
Debate is heating up on how Turkey could be integrated into a common European defense framework. Commercial and industrial deals offer a better chance at alignment than sweeping political efforts.
Marc Pierini
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Taking the Pulse: Is it Worth it for Europeans to Placate Trump?
After spending much of 2025 trying to placate Donald Trump, some European leaders are starting to change posture. But is even a hostile Washington still so important to Europe that the U.S. president’s outbursts are worth putting up with?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
Commentary
Strategic Europe
Europeans Are Quiet Quitting the United States
European leaders have now not only lost faith in Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency, but also in America’s hegemony as a whole. But short-term challenges make an immediate divorce unwise.
Rym Momtaz

More Work from Carnegie Europe

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Trump Turns NATO into a Tool of Coercion

The full list of humiliations Europe has endured since Donald Trump returned to the White House makes for grim reading. But Washington’s adversarial approach to its allies undermines its own power base.

Rym Momtaz

Commentary

Strategic Europe

How the EU Can Become Energy Independent

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a global energy crisis, but Europe is stuck in reaction mode. Without more strategic foresight, the EU will remain dependent on fossil fuels and will never be truly secure.

Milo McBride, Pauline Gerard

Commentary

Deciphering Europe’s Relationship with Turkey

Debate is heating up on how Turkey could be integrated into a common European defense framework. Commercial and industrial deals offer a better chance at alignment than sweeping political efforts.

Marc Pierini

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Taking the Pulse: Is it Worth it for Europeans to Placate Trump?

After spending much of 2025 trying to placate Donald Trump, some European leaders are starting to change posture. But is even a hostile Washington still so important to Europe that the U.S. president’s outbursts are worth putting up with?

Rym Momtaz, ed.

Commentary

Strategic Europe

Europeans Are Quiet Quitting the United States

European leaders have now not only lost faith in Donald Trump’s U.S. presidency, but also in America’s hegemony as a whole. But short-term challenges make an immediate divorce unwise.

Rym Momtaz