A new security order will require establishing an equilibrium between Europe and Russia. Such a reordering will not be a cooperative effort grounded in shared values, as was the hope—and to some extent the reality—in the initial post-Cold War decades, even if it allows for the restoration of commercial and cultural ties. Europe and Russia will continue to be rivals in the Arctic, the Black Sea, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Middle East, just as Russia and major European powers have been for centuries. But an arrangement that includes agreement on transparency, arms-control, and other confidence-building measures could radically reduce the risk of a devastating military conflict on the European continent and lay the foundation for a long-term relationship based on what we might call competitive coexistence.
Source: www.cfr.org
