Obligatory détente
A response to the critics of Plural Peace
Matthias Dembinski, Hans-Joachim Spanger
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
From the fierce criticism to which our “Guidelines for a new Russia policy” have been subjected, it is clear that opinions differ when it comes to Russia. Yet the security policy conflict between Russia and the West remains so dangerous that we are being forced to find ways of de-escalating it. As was the case during the period of détente, the first step is to acknowledge the regulatory differences with Russia instead of denying their existence. This entails strengthening constitutive standards of international law rather than putting them up for negotiation. Instead of exporting democracy, we should trust in the impact of a positive model; instead of organising security against one another in the conflict zone between Russia and the EU, we should regulate it through mutual agreement and cultivate economic and humanitarian relations.
(Osteuropa 5/2017, pp. 135–137)