Russia and NATO Toward the Twenty-First Century: Conflicts and Peacekeeping in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo

摘要

The new Russian-NATO relationship plunged to the lowest point during NATO's 78-day Kosovo air campaign in Spring 1999. Despite the difficulties at the political level, the analysis suggests that Russia's participation in joint peacekeeping with US/NATO forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina (IFOR/SFOR) and Kosovo (KFOR) stand as perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the contemporary Russian-NATO relationship. These successes in peacekeeping tended to be overshadowed by the serious strains between Russia and NATO in developing a response to the implosion of Yugoslavia. While such practical cooperation between Russia and NATO can contribute to eroding the barriers of the past and to the development of a constructive relationship for the twenty-first century, these military-to-military accomplishments cannot shape broader Russian-NATO strategic priorities. The article concludes with examination of Moscow's postmortem assessments on Kosovo and evaluation of prospects for the future of the Russian-NATO relationship in the aftermath of the Yugoslav experience.