Since the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis, there has been much talk of a
new Cold War between the West and Russia. Under Putin's authoritarian
leadership, Moscow is widely seen as volatile, belligerent and bent on
using military force to get its way.
In this incisive analysis, top Russian foreign and security policy
analyst Dmitri Trenin explains why the Cold War analogy is misleading.
Relations between the West and Russia are certainly bad and dangerous
but - he argues - they are bad and dangerous in new ways; crucial
differences which make the current rivalry between Russia, the EU and
the US all the more fluid and unpredictable. Unpacking the dynamics of
this increasingly strained relationship, Trenin makes a compelling case
for handling Russia with pragmatism and care rather than simply giving
into fear.