A QUARTER CENTURY OF NATO-RUSSIA RELATIONS

Abstract

: After the end of the Cold War, in the new international context, two important actors emerged on the international scene, namely NATO and the Russian Federation. The cooperation between them was a necessity to ensure and strengthen a climate of security and peace in Europe and all over the world. In the new challenges of the security environment, NATO was turned from a purely defensive military alliance for Europe into a political and military alliance that can act wherever needed around the globe. The Russian Federation, the successor of the former USSR and inheritor of its military arsenal, has initiated a transition process towards democracy and market economy. Russia has acted permanently to establish a special relationship with the Alliance, different from that with the other Central and Eastern European countries. The relations NATO-Russia followed a continuous development from 1991 to 2008, with periods of crisis, but hopes of establishing a productive partnership. Then, they went into decline, and in April 2014 they were suspended. The Alliance and Russia have different views on European and global security issues. After 25 years of NATO-Russia relations, this paper aims to point out the main aspects of the stages from 1991 until now and analyze the reasons why the collaboration is not yet productive and cooperative, as shown by recent events.