A Norm-Maker or a Norm-Taker?

Abstract

In the post—cold war era, the main prism through which Russia’s place in Europe has been probed in the academic debate has been that of identity.¹ In this book, Iver Neumann’s treatment shows in this vein how Russia has sought recognition for its own representations of its great powerhood (see also Ringmar 2002, which discusses the same issues in the context of the Soviet Union). This chapter treads another, complimentary path of analyzing how Russia’s place in Europe—and consequently its room for maneuver both internally as well as externally—has been conditioned not only by ideational but by material factors as well. As such, the most recent post—cold war period can be seen merely as the latest stage in the longer historical pattern of the evolving normative constitution of European international society and Russia’s relationship with that “Europe.”

I want to thank Harto Hakovirta, Mika Harju-Seppa, Ted Hopf, Iain Lauchlan, Marko Lehti, Arkady Moshes, Iver Neumann, and Tiina Tarvainen for helpful comments and criticism on earlier drafts of this chapter.