Even if NATO and Russia are discussing the creation of a Northern Hemisphere defense arch from Vancouver to Vladivostok, disagreements remain. Through the extension of NATO to Eastern Europe, the US now has a foothold in the heart of Eurasia–a continent deemed strategically important in world affairs. Russia, itself a member of the Shangai Cooperation Organization, considered the Asian NATO, has moved to associate Europe to a new and complementary continental defense plan. In this way, the Russian plans for a common continental defense plan and a common market stretching from Lisbon to Vladivostok are as visionary as, and are in fact to be understood as a continuation of, De Gaulle’s dream.
The only difference is that the center of impulse is now Moscow, and no longer Paris as was the case 40 years ago. The reason for this is perhaps that from Moscow westward to the Atlantic Europe spans over 4,000 km, while the territory from Moscow to the Pacific ocean covers 6,500 km. Europe’s political gravity center simply shifted eastward. A Paris-Berlin-Moscow alliance would at last provide Europe with a real political and military autonomy, which they were unable to build after 1945, and to offer alternatives to NATO unilateralism. It would also open for Europeans access to strategically important areas such as the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Pacific region. After Paris yesterday and Brussel today, will Moscow become tomorrow’s Europe’s capital city?
