Vol. 43, No. 2, June 2008
Opinions
Whither Missile Defence?
F. Stephen Larrabee
In the last eighteen months, missile
defence has emerged as a controversial issue between the United States and its European
allies. The administration's plans have provoked a major debate in Europe and the United
States. Since the spring of 2007, however, the Bush administration has begun to develop a
much more effective public outreach campaign designed to address public concerns. It has
also sought to strengthen the link between its bilateral efforts at missile defence and
those of NATO and made a number of important proposals designed to reduce Russian
concerns.
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Medvedev's Russia and the Social Dimension
Paolo Calzini
In recent years Russia has, thanks to
the action of President Putin, witnessed a significant strengthening politically and
economically. After years of crisis, this has finally ensured a condition of stability
functional to the compromise that has arisen between the regime and society. The election
of a new president, Medvedev, in March 2008, marks the beginning of a development phase
that will be no less fraught with unknowns than the previous period and destined to create
new challenges for the authorities, especially as concerns the social question, long kept
on the margins of official policy. The operational plan for the social dimension
envisaging a series of interventions aimed at solving the relative problems represents a
commitment that could turn out to be crucial for the country's future.
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Essays
(Clashing) Norms and Interests in EU-Russia Relations
New Man in the Kremlin: What Future for Russian Foreign Policy?
Nazrin Mehdiyeva
President Dmitry Medvedev is neither a
"liberal" nor a "puppet" of his mentor, Vladimir Putin. He is a
capable politician, who appears genuinely to believe in the rule of law. Yet his formative
policy experience has been overwhelmingly dirigiste, the approach that is unlikely to
change fundamentally under his presidency. Medvedev's personal preferences in foreign
policy are largely in line with the policies initiated by Putin, although his rhetoric and
style will likely be more conciliatory. He will inherit a plethora of problems created by
Russia's assertive policy, both in its near and far abroad. Moreover, the institutional
constraints and informal rules within which Medvedev will have to operate make policy
continuity more likely than policy reversal.
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The Russian Challenge to EU Normative Power: The Case of European Neighbourhood
Policy
Hiski Haukkala
The Russian attitude towards the
European Neighbourhood Policy constitutes a serious obstacle to the realisation of the
Union's agenda in its neighbourhood. The Russian challenge takes three main forms: 1) with
Russia not a part of the EU's overall approach involving the principle of conditionality,
the Union's legitimacy and international actorness in general is in danger of being
undermined; 2) Russia is increasingly starting to put forward its own model of operation,
thus hampering the realisation of the Union's goals in the neighbourhood; 3) Russia is
engaging in business activities that are in effect undoing the ENP's energy component.
There are no easy fixes to these problems. What the Union must do is believe in its own
values and visions: it is only by example that it can promote its ideals outside its
institutional boundaries.
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Russia's Search for International Identity Through the Sovereign Democracy Concept
Andrey S. Makarychev
The search for common language has
become a demanding issues in the Russia-EU relationship. One of the strongest messages
contained in Russia's "sovereign democracy" concept is its desire to be regarded
as a "normal" country, a full-fledged member of the international community. The
concept embodies a search for its own subjectivity, which is ultimately felt to be a
pre-condition for its self-assertion vis-agrave-vis Europe. Russia does not question any
of the basic European norms; instead it seeks to offer an alternative version of each of
them. For the Western audience, analysis of these concepts is essential for a better
comprehension of Russia's foreign policy arguments.
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Europe Forum
How to Exercise Europe's Power
Jan Zielonka
In order to make it more effective as
an actor on the international scene, the European Union is being urged to reverse its
foreign policy priorities. EU enlargement policy has fallen out of grace and many want to
see Europe acquire a "normal" foreign policy with a global rather than merely
regional reach, significant military means and centralised governance. Management of
various conflicts in Africa and Asia is also in vogue. Such a policy shift will define the
nature of Europe's actorness. It is argued that, with all its defects, the EU performs
quite well as a civilian regional power and efforts to transform it into a traditional
military power with a global reach could make things worse rather than better.
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Italy in World Affairs
US Military Bases in Italy: In Keeping with International Law? Still Needed?
Natalino Ronzitti
The end of the Cold War brought about a
change in US basing policy in Italy. Some bases were dismantled, while others, like the
one in Vicenza, were strengthened raising considerable local protest for environmental
reasons. The article examines whether agreements establishing the US bases have a solid
foundation in the Italian Constitution and whether the weapons detained there are in
conformity with the disarmament treaties binding Italy. Since the bases are now employed
for NATO "out-of-area" operations and have become a part of the US strategy of
"war on terror", they inevitably influence Italy's foreign policy and its option
to stay out of ongoing conflicts. The article also considers the continuing need for US
bases from the point of view of Atlantic solidarity.
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Italy and the United Nations Security Council
Ferdinando Salleo and Nicoletta Pirozzi
Responding to the increasing inadequacy
of the UN and especially the Security Council (SC) in dealing with today's challenges and
threats, Italy has actively taken part in the reform debate. Since the 1993 Memorandum and
through the experience of the Coffee Club in the 1990s, the United for Consensus movement
initiated in 2004 and its current mandate as non-permanent member of the SC for the
2007-08 period, Italy has campaigned against any increase in the number of individual
permanent seats, which it feels would undermine its role and be an obstacle to a genuine
European approach to SC issues. Yet, given the difficulties of SC reform, Italy cannot
afford to limit itself to a merely obstructionist policy, which could prove sterile in the
long run. Italy must promote and implement concrete initiatives that have the potential to
re-establish the body's authority and relaunch multilateral dynamics at the international
level, while reaffirming its own importance in the global arena.
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Book Reviews
Organizing Violence
Francesco N. Moro
Review of: Inside rebellion : the
politics of insurgent violence, Jeremy M. Weinstein, Cambridge University Press, 2007
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Alliances: Here to Stay?
Jason W. Davidson
Review of: The end of alliances,
Rajan Menon, Oxford University Press, 2007
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Reviving Liberalism. A New Course for US Foreign Policy
Emiliano Alessandri
Review of: Confronting global
terrorism and American neo-conservatism : the framework of a liberal grand strategy,
Tom Farer, Oxford University Press, 2008
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From Communism to Capitalism: A World Transformed
Valerio Fabbri
Review of: How capitalism was built
: the transformation of Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, Anders
Åslund, Cambridge University Press, 2007
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