Second footnote to the post titled “Toward a Pacific Community”

And we should perhaps delve just a little bit deeper into this debate over whether Russia should be contained or integrated into the European world order. Our argument is that the containment of Russia is the only way forward, and the basic requirement of a containment strategy towards Russia is a Sino-Russian split. But why? Why can’t we boost the other side of the debate any longer, namely, the side which contends that Russia be integrated into the European world order? We should note that the Russian integration into the European world order is an ideal. It would be perfect if it could happen. But we do not live in a perfect world. For one, the integration of Russia into the European world order would require redrawing the boundaries of NATO or perhaps even the dismantling of NATO. Something which Trump has even proposed. But if NATO were dismantled, and Russia were to be integrated into the European world order, how can one guarantee that Russia would not exploit the novel situation and in turn do what it is doing to Ukraine to yet another European nation, say, Britain? This is why our default theory for international relations is political realism and not idealism. Idealism dictates that we do everything we can to integrate Russia into the European world order. But I am no longer an idealist.