2025

Great Power Politics And Alliance Expansion: The Case Of Nato And Russia

Author(s): ADITI PAUL

Abstract

The end of the Cold War generated renewed hope for a more peaceful international order. It also created the possibility for a more cooperative relationship between the United States and Russia. With the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) sought to redefine its role in the emerging unipolar world. In doing so, NATO opened up its membership to several Eastern European states with the promise of fostering a more stable and democratized region. However, this transformed role of NATO became a source of grave concern to Russia. The situation further deteriorated as NATO’s eastward expansion increasingly came to be perceived by Russia as a threat to its national security. This paper, with the help of qualitative approach, aims to examine Russia’s actions in response to NATO’s eastward expansion using the theoretical frameworks of security dilemma and offensive realism.