A Russian-Western security committee? - possibilities and obstacles

Abstract

The report is an attempt to outline a theoretical framework for the FFI project “Russia-partner and challenger.” It presents two central theoretical contributions to the understanding of the concept “security communities,” namely those of Karl Deutsch, Emmanuel Adler and Michael Barnett. According to these theories two or more states constitute a security community when it is unthinkable to use large-scale violence to solve conflicts between them. Preconditions for such a security community are relations of mutual responsiveness, a set of common values and, often, institutional integration. In the report we also suggest how these theoretical propositions can be applied to the Russian-Western relation. On the basis of the theoretical propositions we present the different case-studies that the FFI project will produce and what questions we need to address when analysing the Russian-Western case. The development of a security community between Russia and the West will depend on the ability of the West to be responsive to Russian interests and needs. But it will also depend on the development of liberal-democratic norms in Russia and an increase in transactions between Russia and the Western states in organisations such as NATO and EU. 9)