In the Russia-West conflict, attention is often drawn to Russian President Vladimir Putin, trying to anticipate his next move. As a result, it becomes easy to miss the unlikely winners and drivers of this confrontation. One of the drivers is the domestic politics of the states in-between the European Union and Russia, and one big winner, at least in the short term, is illiberalism. It is not simply EU incentives or Russian pressure that influences the foreign policy orientation of these countries, but also their often less-than-democratic political and corrupt economic elite constellations. This dynamic is seen in the countries …read more
The In-Betweeners: The Eastern Partnership Countries and the Russia-West Conflict
