The Explanatory Power of Structural Realism in the 21st Century: the Eastern Partnership, Russian Expansionism and the War in Ukraine

Abstract

While the scope of the paper is to assess the actions undertaken by the European Union towards the FSU-CIS (Former Soviet Union, Commonwealth of Independent States) which was manifested through the Eastern Partnership Initiative in the years 2008 -2014, the focus will be centred on theoretical concepts and their 'explanatory power' rather than actions undertaken by European or Russian decision makers. Taking that under account, this essay will critically assess the explanatory power of the neorealist school of thought which although overtly criticized, still remains a viable tool in explaining the processes occurring in international relations.

Bilateralism within the European Union

“…Having this in mind, bilateralism within the EU will be examined here through the lens of neorealist theory. Its conceptual framework refl ects today's reality, as realist terminology is once again relevant (Joseph & Wight, 2010 ;Skordas, 2018 ;Herbut & Kunert-Milcarz, 2017 ). When analysing relations between international actors, apart from categories such as 'interest' and 'power', realists emphasise the epistemological category of 'interdependence' (Waltz, 1979 ) or its variation, 'dependence', which results from a sharp asymmetry in states' capabilities.…”