Author: Andrew T. Wolff
Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that his country’s annexation of Crimea
in March 2014 was partly in response to NATO enlargement. NATO leaders
counter that eastern enlargement is not a cause of the Ukraine crisis, and they
argue that enlargement does not threaten Russia, but rather it creates stability
for all of Europe. This article examines the history of NATO–Russian tensions
over enlargement, considers how NATO’s enlargement policy factored into the
Ukraine crisis, and reviews options for the future of enlargement. Drawing on
diplomatic history and geopolitical theory, the article explains Russia’s persistent
hostility towards NATO’s policy of eastward expansion and highlights NATO’s
failure to convert …read more
Source: Chatham House