Realism and the study of EU-Russian relations

Abstract

This chapter engages with ‘realist’ contributions to the study of the EU–Russia relationship. While it is acknowledged that realism has traditionally taken a back seat when examining EU–Russia relations, it is argued that since the onset of the Ukraine crisis and the clear cooling of relations, realist contributions have proliferated and have made important contributions to the broader literature. The chapter consciously demarcates Western and Russian approaches. For the Western branch of realism, the assumptions and arguments of structural realism, classical realism, and neoclassical realism are examined. For the Russian branch of realism, the assumptions and arguments of the historical approach, the structural approach, and the geopolitical approach are examined. It is argued that the common theme from realist approaches from both the Western and Russian traditions is that until an agreeable security architecture for Europe which pacifies the inherent power contestation can be found, EU–Russia relations are doomed to remain frosty. The chapter finishes with a discussion of the trends of the two traditions (Western and Russian) and argues that much could be learned – especially for the Western traditions – from greater interaction between the two.