NATO Enlargement and the US- Russian Relations in the 21st Century: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

Cold War was the rivalry between the Soviet Union and the United States to expand their ideology and influence worldwide to become the most powerful state of the world. A significant element of the Cold War was the making of alliances by both the United States and the Soviet Union to materialize their objectives and to contain each other’s ballooning influence and ideology. The weakening position of the Soviet Union brought the two countries closer. In addition to this, the United States' assurances to the Soviet Union about restricting NATO’s borders normalized relations between the two rivals after being engaged in a Cold War for over 40 years. Later, the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s prompted the world to believe that the Cold War had come to an end. However, the North Atlantic Treaty’s inclusion of more European countries backed by the United States has again reinstated the Russia-US rivalry leading to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This paper delves into the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization during the Cold War era. The paper then tries to figure out whether there is any significant proof of American promises to the Soviet Union regarding the restriction of NATO’s borders. The paper then analyzes Russian policy in the 21^st century and its invasions of Ukraine in the context of American promises.