XII Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2020

At present the main state of international security is formed against the background of military-political pressure and deterrence of the development of Russian-European relations, which is carried out by NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a serious political player in the international arena, whose actions pose a significant threat to both global security and the national security of the Russian Federation.

In this regard, the analysis of the current state of NATO, the prospects for the development of the alliance, the possibility of its expansion and the impact on Russia 's security seem extremely relevant.

The NATO bloc created to counter the USSR seemed to lose the main reason of its existence after the end of the cold war. The North Atlantic Union was therefore faced with the need to adapt to new circumstances, which led to the revision and adoption of new strategic concepts of the organization. The NATO bloc in recent history is developing in the following main directions.

Particular emphasis was placed on strengthening the non-military functions of the alliance. The New Strategic Vision emphasized the importance of political aspects of security through dialogue and cooperation. NATO was committed to establishing broad contacts and interaction with other international organizations, such as the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC), which was to be a tool for joint treatment of European security by NATO countries and their partners.

In the field of geopolitical interests, emphasis was placed on developing ties with the Asia-Pacific region, which increased cooperation with countries such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and Australia.

NATO 's strategy included establishing partnerships and spreading its influence in the Caucasus, Central Asia, Pakistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The process of large-scale NATO expansion has become particularly dynamic. From the formation of the bloc in 1949 till the year of 2017, the number of member states of the alliance increased from 12 to 29 states. NATO 's expansion took place under the auspices of strengthening stability on the European continent, and in fact became a threat to the global security. Russia has waged an active political campaign against NATO expansion, Though the prospects for a "second wave" of alliance expansion are rather problematic, but NATO 's official position provides for such a possibility.

One of the debatable issues is the equality of the alliance members. The leading role of the United States is rather obvious, and the United Kingdom is recognized as the second most important country in the NATO bloc. It is followed by Germany, France, Western European NATO members (Italy, Spain, Belgium, etc.) and closes this hierarchical ladder with "new" NATO members from Central and Eastern Europe. It can lead to serious contradictions, crisis and even a possible split of the alliance. However, in the face of a common adversary of which Russia has been declared, and global threats such as international terrorism, any NATO contradictions are losing urgency. This is quite enough to mobilize the Atlantic alliance.

The main threat to global security is NATO 's policy of globalization of the alliance, a claim to be a leading military-political force not only in Europe, but also in the world. NATO 's place in the European international political system is defined as the political and military capacity of the alliance, already shown in different military campaigns. Turning NATO into a central element of the "pan-European architecture" can lead to further escalation of tension because this structure excludes Russia.

NATO’s approaching to the Russian borders, complete ignoring Russia’s interests, imposing economic sanctions against Russia, reflect a desire to weaken Russia and exclude it from the world political agenda. The foreign policy of NATO is aimed at weakening the influence of Russia and China. The intensification of NATO’s activity, connected with the expansion of the military presence in Eastern Europe, the strengthening of the alliance's naval group in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, and the demonstration of military exercises near the borders of the Russian Federation are increasingly taking on an anti-Russian character. According to experts, the dynamics of further territorial expansion of the alliance and the approach of the NATO bloc to the borders of Russia, especially if Ukraine, Georgia, Finland and Sweden join NATO, remain alarming and will turn into a real threat to the national security of the Russian Federation.

Speaking about the possibilities and prospects of the situation, the opinions of experts are divided, predicting different scenarios of cold and even hot conflict between Russia and NATO in case of further expansion of NATO to the east. However, we cannot but talk about the real opportunities and prospects for NATO-Russia cooperation in developing mechanisms for joint assessment of new threats and challenges. This cooperation between Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance seems to be one of the most promising and fruitful. A coherent and cooperative response to these challenges will make a significant contribution to the development of partnerships and the deepening of mutual understanding between the parties.

Relations between Russia and NATO are still under pressure from historical mistrust, but at the same time there is growing understanding both of the sides that these relations need to be developed progressively and that a constructive dialogue is the only viable option to develop these relations.

Literature:

Baryshev A. P. The modern strategy of the United States and NATO in the context of Russian national security problems. M.: AUGIE, 2016. p. 248

Abayev L.H., Vavilov A.I. NATO at the present stage: view of experts 2018, p. 16

Link P.A. Naumkin D. P., Kazantsev A.A. "Big Game" with unknown rules: World Politics and Central Asia. 2018, p. 37

Muradyan I.M., NATO Problems 2016, p. 32

Bogaturov A. D. Central Asia in international politics//Russia in global politics 2017, № 2. p. 48

Koscheva P.P. Russia and NATO: Partnership or Competition? 2014, p. 254.