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The West Still Has No Answer for the ‘Russian Question’

The West Still Has No Answer for the ‘Russian Question’
U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin address the press ahead of their meeting, in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021 (Sputnik photo by Sergey Guneev via AP).

From the perspective of Western states, the history of international politics has been a long series of questions. One was the “Balkan Question,” which since the early 20th century has referred to how and by what means a permanent peace can be ensured in that region. Another and related question that consumed the 20th century was the “German Question,” or how to ensure the security of Europe with a unified Germany at its center. Another is the “Palestinian Question,” which is shorthand for finding a formula that will enable the Palestinian people to have their own nation-state alongside the Jewish state of Israel.

But there is another question that has been just as vexing to Western foreign policymakers: the Russian Question.

The question of whether the West and Russia can peacefully co-exist is quite relevant today, and for many observers, the answer is a decidedly firm, “No.” The ongoing war in Ukraine has laid bare the frictions between the two camps, while confirming that Russia is not interested in being a full participant in the Western-led international order, be it “rules-based” or otherwise.

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