The West and Russia: From Acute Conflict to Long-Term Crisis Management

Russia entered a period of acute crisis the day it occupied and annexed Crimea. In history textbooks, it will mark the beginning of the end of Putin’s rule. It will also read as a turning point in European and transatlantic policies toward Russia’s leadership. Much of the change in paradigm was triggered by Moscow’s intrusive and subversive methods in the 'in-between' states, the states that remained stuck between Europe and the Russian Federation after 1991. Moscow’s unswerving support of Assad’s dictatorial military rule is, to a large extent, the consequence of Vladimir Putin’s fear of 'regime fall' and rule-of-law aspirations in several prominent east European and Mediterranean countries