Integrating Russia into the West

Any consideration of Russia’s integration into Western institutions must begin with the importance of the terrorist strikes of September 11, 2001. The good news is threefold. First, the terrorist attacks led President Vladimir Putin openly to align Russia with the United States. In turn, American policy makers appear more willing to heed Russian concerns with respect to previously contentious issues such as the National Missile Defense and NATO. Second, the U.S.-led war on terrorism may be leading to a major shift in geopolitical alignments. Russia’s possible transformation from a regional problem to a strategic asset may facilitate closer economic relations with the European Union, promote a deeper Russia–NATO partnership, and enhance Russia’s cultural links with the West in general and the community of liberal democratic states in particular. Third, the likelihood of continued instability in the Middle East means that Russia necessarily becomes an increasingly more reliable and more important supplier of energy resources to the West, at least to Europe.