The Domestic Politics of NATO Expansion in Russia: Implications for American Foreign Policy

For two years, opponents of NATO expansion both in Russia and the West have warned that the act of inviting former Warsaw Pact countries into the Western alliance would bolster Russia's opposition forces domestically. The historic Madrid NATO summit came and went, however, without producing any visible reaction in Russian domestic politics. Everyone from neonationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky to neo-liberal Anatoly Chubais opposes NATO expansion in principle. But, in practice, NATO expansion to date has played little or no role in Russian domestic politics. Why not? […]

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