Should We Fear Russia?

“No one is a wiser, more sophisticated, more subtle or more balanced student of Russian foreign policy than Dmitri Trenin. No one, anywhere. So, should the West fear Russia? His answer is, yes, but for reasons that are different and vastly more complex than the reasons driving the discourse in the West. US and European leaders will not get their policy toward Russia right until they come to terms with the arguments in this book.”

Robert Legvold, Columbia University, and author of Return to Cold War

“Dmitri Trenin makes a clear and compelling case that Russia’s Realpolitik may become more realistic and argues that the West should fear its weakness more than its strength. Trenin’s voice of reason makes an important and hopeful contribution to the current policy debate.”

Joseph S. Nye, Jr., University Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard University, and author of Is the American Century Over?

“Dmitri Trenin is one of the most lucid analysts of Russia writing today. In this short but rich volume, he traces the recent history of misguided policy and conflicts of interest that have produced the current sharp deterioration in relations between Russia and the West. A ‘new normal’ has emerged, he argues. It is not a second Cold War but a period of new challenges and opportunities, in which seeing Russia clearly is critical to peace and security. To that end, there is no better place to start than this present essay.”

Thomas Graham, Managing Director, Kissinger Associates, and former Senior Director for Russia on the US National Security Council staff