ABSTRACT

Traditional explanations of Russia’s negative reaction to the ENP are based on the neorealist theoretical assumptions, according to which Russia is highly concerned about its relative power and sphere of influence (Mearsheimer 2014).1 Russia perceives the EU as a competing international actor and interprets the ENP as the EU’s attempt to limit Russia’s influence in the post-Soviet space. From such a perspective, the situation in the common neighbourhood is a ‘zerosum game’. In general, this theoretical approach seems to explain major tendencies in EU-Russia relations, particularly the most recent crisis in Ukraine. However, a neorealist approach fails to explain the transformation of Russia’s position. I argue that it is important to pay attention to issues such as socialization and social learning to understand the evolution of Russia’s attitude towards the ENP. When Russia started to interact with the EU, its perception of the Union began to change alongside its perception of itself and its expectations about the EU-Russia relationship. In order to understand the role of socialization and social learning in the case of EU-Russia relations, it is necessary to turn to constructivism. Rationalists are only concerned about socialization, identities and perceptions in terms of their influence on actors’ behaviour. Neorealists provide a limited explanation of socialization, stressing its structural influence since socialization determines ‘norms of behaviour’ for actors and establishes rules according to which states would be either rewarded or punished (Waltz 1979: 74-7). This rationalist approach emphasizes the structure’s influence on actors and their interests. Socialization is perceived as one of the ways of this structural influence. This limited vision of socialization fails to explain mutual influence of the actors and the evolution of their perception of the Self and the Other. Constructivism, with its interpretation of socialization, concepts of imitation and social learning, helps to explain the identity-formation process and can enhance a rationalist understanding of actors’ behaviour. In order to account for the evolution of Russia’s foreign policy perceptions and Russia’s policy towards the EU and the EU’s activities in the post-Soviet space, a constructivist approach seems therefore essential. The constructivist concepts of imitation and social learning broaden the traditional neorealist agenda and allow to understand the formation and the transformation of Russia’s identity in the process of interaction with the EU and the evolution of Russia’s attitude to the Eastern Partnership and the ENP.