Rivalries between Russia and the West are on the rise, fueled by decades of mistrust, resentment, hybrid conflicts, and strategic divergences. What are the roots of this geopolitical tension?
Indeed, the intensification of tensions between Russia and the West has its roots in a complex historical past, marked by a legacy of domination and contempt. Since the French Revolution (1789), the emergence of double-standard “liberal democracy” in the West has been opposed to the Russian attraction to a strong and sovereign state. In the 20th century, this rivalry was exacerbated, particularly during the Cold War, when the West, particularly the United States, perceived Russia as an ideological enemy to be contained. A marker of the illusion of the end of the Cold War, the fall of the USSR in 1991, interpreted by the West as a triumph of “democracy” and “capitalism” in all its forms, marks a new chapter. However, the imposition of external economic reforms generated an internal crisis in Russia, fueling a feeling of contempt. Today, these tensions are at an unprecedented level, with Russia having regained confidence and power, seeking to defend its national interests in the face of a West that is still on guard and on the brink of the precipice. This geopolitical environment is illustrative of a persistent dualism in which each side is trying to secure its hegemony.
The perception of humiliation and geopolitical downgrading is an open wound that continues to bleed.
Undoubtedly, the dissolution of the USSR in December 1991, two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, marked a major turning point for Russia, transforming hopes for freedom and democracy into a period of economic turbulence, political chaos and geopolitical setbacks. Western powers, particularly the United States, tactically and strategically took advantage of Russian vulnerability to expand their influence without any consideration for Russian interests. This tactic of encirclement and containment, at the heart of the “Truman Doctrine” and exemplified by NATO’s expansion to the East, is perceived in Russia as a direct threat to national security. Western interventions in the Balkans have exacerbated this resentment, excluding Russia from peace processes and imposing unilateral solutions. This series of humiliations has deeply marked the Russian psyche (which has its roots in the history, culture, geography and collective experiences of the Russian people), nourishing a sense of betrayal and contempt. Today, Russia is asserting itself as an indispensable geopolitical power, determined to defend its interests and restore its greatness, thus imposing a new paradigm on international relations.
NATO and EU expansion to the East, a strategy of domination and encirclement
There is no doubt that the expansionist policy of NATO and the EU towards the East, guided by Washington’s aggressive foreign policy (theorized by Brzezinski and Kissinger) and initially presented as an approach to strengthen stability, security and cooperation in Europe, is understood by Russia as a maneuver of domination and encirclement. This is part of the political realism of the Russian state “capable of ensuring order at home and power abroad” according to the Juvin thesis. Thus, perceived as a direct threat to its national security, the enlargement of NATO, a military alliance born in 1949 to counter the Soviet threat, arouses feelings of encirclement in Russia, exacerbated by the increased military presence near its borders. Similarly, the integration of Eastern European countries into the EU, formerly under Soviet influence, is seen by Moscow as an attempt to disrupt its geopolitical influence by promoting Western interests. The perception of betrayal therefore results in part from unfulfilled promises by the West not to expand NATO after the fall of the Berlin Wall. These actions, perceived as provocations, sharpen tensions and mistrust between Russia and the West, accentuating a climate of conflict. While relations between Russia (then the Soviet Union) and the United States were marked by growing tensions and mutual mistrust, characteristic of the Cold War in 1949, the proxy war in Ukraine since February 2022 has revived these tensions and mutual mistrust. Since his return to the White House on January 20, 2025, Donald Trump has demonstrated a resolute determination to normalize relations between Russia and the United States. This sets in motion the reactionary automatons of warmongering Europe in a cycle of institutional gesticulation. However, uncertainty remains as to the sustainability of this Trumpist approach. In this context, Russia must not only exercise caution, but above all remain vigilant to avoid reliving a radical transformation of the “Perestroika” type.
Ideological and cultural differences lead to a clash of civilizations
The clash of cultures between the West and the East is not a new phenomenon on the global chessboard. The ideological and cultural differences between Russia and the West are rooted in history, dating back to the The American Revolution (1776) and the French Revolution (1789) completed the emergence of liberal democracy in the West, while Russia traditionally favours a strong state and national sovereignty. These contrasts are palpable today in the debates on “human rights” and “governance” at all levels, where the West, particularly the United States, advocates “values of democracy” and “human rights” with varying degrees of bias, while Russia adopts a more conservative perspective. This dichotomy is often sadly reduced by the West to a binary confrontation between democracy and authoritarianism, overlooking the complexity of Russian reality and its historical foundations. Moreover, the West frequently uses human rights and democracy as levers to intervene in Russian domestic politics, fuelling distrust and resentment, as many in Russia perceive these actions as an attack on their cultural sovereignty and identity. This simplification and bias have intensified tensions and strengthened the climate of mistrust between the two blocs. It is in this context of historical gears that Ukraine has decided to substitute itself as a field of confrontation between two superpowers around which international relations have been organized since the end of the Second World War in 1945. The agitation of the elites of Brussels and Anglo-Saxon Europe in the theater of Ukraine finds its origin in the forgetting of history and the feeling of what defeat in a war represents. In Europe, from Oslo to Madrid, from Berlin to Lisbon, from Dublin to Rome, and from Stockholm to Paris, should not those who experienced the Hitler era have a different language towards Russia?
From the above, we can deduce that rivalries between Russia and the West are still a major reality of geopolitics. Distrust, resentment, contempt and hybrid conflicts still generate a climate of tension that threatens global stability.
We can say that the the normalization of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Washington initiated by Trump threatens the European anarco – profiteer -situationists, fervent supporters of warmongering, in their paradigm of institutional gesticulation.
Mohamed Lamine KABA, Expert in geopolitics of governance and regional integration, Institute of Governance, Human and Social Sciences, Pan-African University
