Russia in global politics – driving values and interests

Partner: Center for EU Enlargement Studies
Event date: Apr 20, 2015
Deadline for registering: Apr 19, 2015
Venue: Central European University, 1051 Budapest, Nador u. 9, Auditorium, 9.30 a.m.- 4.30 p.m., Hungary
Category: Conference

Russia for many years wanted to join the “European club”, but after experiencing the unwillingness of its partners decided that a club based on Western values is not attractive anymore. Since the historic speech of president Putin back in 2007 in Munich, Russia has openly questioned the legitimacy of the unipolar world and claimed the right for Russia to be an equal partner. The constant desire to put Russia on the map as a global player was followed by not only words but acts. As the recent developments show, the gap between role perceptions of Russia and those of the West is widening. Not only once has Moscow questioned the post-Soviet status quo. Its policy on recognizing breakaway entities as states in the Caucasus and elsewhere seems to be now more of a rule rather than exception. Russia’s vision of a new power division, and the creation of a new economic and political club covering most of the post-Soviet space, the region where Moscow declared to have special interests along with the right to defend them, is seen as a threat by the US and major powers of the European Union. This resulted in a cooling down of its bilateral relations not only with the US but also with the EU. The sanctions policy against Russia led by the most influential Western countries seriously affects bilateral relations, interdependencies and the performance of the Russian economy itself. Moscow’s ambivalent relations with China and its relations with the Middle East also project the start of a new kind of Russian foreign policy. The conference brings together the most prominent experts from Russia and elsewhere to discuss the prospects of Russian foreign policy, along with its domestic political context as well as Russia’s evolving self-perception.

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Keywords: Russia, EU, Europe