Author: Johannes Lith

Year: 2018

The assumption of a clash between realist and idealist worldviews is a classical building block of international relations and security studies. The greatest challenge is to find a balance between building strong trust and pursuing good relations, while at the same time avoiding idealism being overtaken by realists seizing the moment.

This paper sets out to stress this importance, by presenting a liberal view on reasons for the current state of relations, ways to develop the balance between deterrence and dialogue, as well as the division of tasks between the EU and NATO.