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Paper

EU—Russia Relations: Interests and Values—A European Perspective

Western media, many Russia scholars, politicians who are not in power, and much of the public see Putin moving Russia further away from democracy, human rights, and the rule of law as they are understood in the West. How can the EU forge a set of common values with Russia in order to further the bilateral relationship and better understand Russia's backslide from democracy?

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By Rolf Schuette
Published on Dec 16, 2004

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Russia and Eurasia

The Russia and Eurasia Program continues Carnegie’s long tradition of independent research on major political, societal, and security trends in and U.S. policy toward a region that has been upended by Russia’s war against Ukraine.  Leaders regularly turn to our work for clear-eyed, relevant analyses on the region to inform their policy decisions.

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Summary

Western media, many Russia scholars, politicians who are not in power, and much of the public see President Vladimir Putin moving Russia further away from democracy, human rights, and the rule of law as they are understood in the West. The critics may disagree about whether today’s Russia can be described as a "managed democracy," an "authoritarian state," or a "new totalitarian state." But they all agree that the political system President Putin has designed and erected during the past few years no longer has much in common with western democracy. This paper looks at E.U.–Russia relations from a European and not a Russian perspective. Its main focus is to look at the question of how the issue of "common values" has figured in this relationship, especially when compared with the importance of other major issues.

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About the Author

Rolf Schuette was a visiting scholar in the Russian and Eurasian Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace during the autumn of 2004. He is a career diplomat in the German Foreign Service and has served at embassies in Moscow, Tel Aviv, and Rome, and at the United Nations. Until July 2004, he was the head of the Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova division in the Foreign Office in Berlin.  

Rolf Schuette
CaucasusRussiaEastern EuropeWestern EuropePolitical ReformDemocracySecurityForeign Policy

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.

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