The relationship between the EU and Russia today is fully pragmatic, based on Realpolitik and trade, which in turn eclipses the strategic perspective. But oil, gas and metals are not the best way to build bridges between people. The sort of bridges we need require very different materials.
Both Russian and Western European isolationists favor much the same harmful approach. Accustomed to authoritarianism and burdened by post-totalitarian complexes, the majority of Russians are nonetheless neither isolationist nor anti-Western. But passive isolationism, characterized by the idea that everything outside Russia is somehow abstract, is an integral part of the Russian mindset. This type of thinking creates very great dangers for Russia, and is just as dangerous for its neighbors and the West.
Human rights, openness and democratic values should be genuinely shared as a means to achieve a true partnership. In the modern milieu of government and corporate bureaucracies, it is difficult to speak in these terms. However, strategically, there is no way to sugarcoat the serious language that must be used in a dialogue between partners. There is still hope that Europe's political future will not be one of risky "multipolarity," but instead one of cooperation based on the values of freedom and justice.
Grigory Yavlinsky is chairman of the Russian United Democratic Party Yabloko. Victor Kogan-Yasny is political adviser to Yabloko and chairman of the Regional Civic Initiative in Moscow.
Copyright: Project Syndicate
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