The Russian-Ukrainian war has
heralded the beginning of a new season of competition between
Russia's West and East: the journey of the book 'Towards a New
Iron Curtain', written by five authors from different countries
and perspectives (Poland, Czech Republic, Finland, Turkey and
Bosnia), opens in the context of the future of defence in
Europe. The publication of the book, which is a collaboration
between the Luigi Einaudi Foundation and the European Liberal
Forum think-tank, was announced at a recent conference in
Warsaw.
"The project 'Towards a New Iron Curtain' - explains the
volume's editor, Renata Gravina, a researcher at Sapienza
University - analyses the scenario according to which an Iron
Curtain is being recreated over Europe in the face of possible
Russian expansion into Ukraine. By looking at the history and
geopolitical evolution of the last three decades, the book helps
to understand both the reality of post-Soviet dynamics and the
difficulty of European political balances".
Is the future of Europe a growing Iron Curtain? Some states,
fearful of being the next victims of Putin's ambitions, see NATO
as the only solution to an unstable outlook. The 138 pages of
this volume are devoted to this question.
In the case of Poland, Milosz Hodun (Project Polska) argues
that the Iron Curtain was never perceived as over: fear of
Russia and perceptions of danger have simply "shifted
eastwards". The Czech Sarka Shoup (Politics and Society), on the
other hand, points out that the Czech Republic's position has
historically been characterised by a considerable degree of
volatility: if the Czech government is to "continue to maintain
its position as a reliable partner within the Eu and Nato", it
will continue to face internal pressures that pose a dilemma for
the future.
Recently, Mikko Majander (Magma) explains, Finland has shown
growing concern about the perceived threat from Russia,
underlined by the final decision to join Nato in 2023. According
to Bosnian Jasmina Ibrahimpasic (Bdf), while Nato and the Eu
still represent aspirations for stability, economic growth and
security in the post-Yugoslav space, Russian interference in the
Yugoslav context complicates the creation of an Iron Curtain.
Finally, Turkey's multilateral engagement, as Elif Menderes
(Fnf) points out, is aimed at establishing the country as a
mediator and stabilising force in the region: "First and
foremost, Turkey wants to strengthen its central influence as a
regional federal and economic power".
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