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Economist Debate: Assertive Russia

Those who argue that the West should be bolder in its response to a newly assertive Russia are using the past to deal with a very different present and a highly uncertain future. The West must first determine what Russia wants and where it is heading and should then structure a security relationship in Europe that would both include Russia and reassure its wary neighbors.

by Dmitri Trenin

published by

The Economist

on September 10, 2008

Source: The Economist

In responding to the Russia-Georgia crisis, punishing the Russians is an option that is frequently advocated in the West. However, in an Economist Debate, Dmitri Trenin argues that before taking such bold steps, the West should first determine what Russia wants and where it is heading. Additionally, It should use this present crisis to structure a security relationship in Europe that would both include Russia and reassure its wary neighbors.

Trenin argues that this course of action, “may come in handy as other crises may jolt the world: a politico-nuclear meltdown in Pakistan, a Taliban comeback in Afghanistan, Iran’s nuclear weapons progress, North Korea’s proliferation regression and the like.”

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