... leadership in the Kremlin is not going to change; an ideological revolution in the European Union is no more likely. In the observable future Russia will not become a... ... various forms of cooperation similar to these during the 1970s or 1980s.
Back to the Cold War
Igor Ivanov:
Russia — Europe: the Need for a Common Vision
Since no revolution... ... grandiose plans have to wait. The old model of geopolitical confrontation between East and West, i.e., the Cold War model, should be revisited as an interim solution for the Russia-West...
... sides, in both economic and security domains.
During
the Cold War, the Communist system was able to challenge
N
ATO (with the Warsaw Treaty Organisation) and the European
Union
(with COMECON). Indeed, there were potential asymmetries
even
during the Cold War, but these were not that evident and the Soviet Union could claim an overall “parity” with the West.
Tod
ay, the situation is different. The Russian economic potential
is
evidently no match for that of the European Union. Likewise,
N
ATO has clear superiority over Russia in terms of quality and
quantity
of military capabilities. Under such circumstances, it is
inc
reasingly difficult for Russian leaders to substantiate their
claims
to “equality” ...