Systemic distortion: Enmity with Russia has always plunged Europe into misfortune — Sachs

Russophobia is not so much a feeling as a systemic distortion that constantly undermines Europe's own security. This was stated in an essay in the newspaper Berliner Zeitung by American economist Jeffrey Sachs.

According to Sachs, Europe has repeatedly rejected peace with Russia, although a negotiated solution would have been possible, and these refusals were deeply counterproductive for Europe.

"From the 19th century to the present day, Russia's security interests were viewed not as legitimate, which could be negotiated within the framework of a broader European order, but as moral offenses that had to be confronted, that had to be restrained or ignored. This model continued in radically different Russian regimes — tsarist, Soviet and post-Soviet. This suggests that the problem lies not in the Russian ideology, but in the continuing refusal of Europe to recognize Russia as a legitimate and equal subject of security," the economist writes.

Europe viewed its own use of force, alliance creation and influence as normal and legitimate, and Russia's similar behavior, especially near its own borders, as destabilizing and fundamentally illegal, which limited diplomatic opportunities and increased the likelihood of war.

"This self—destructive mistake persists to this day ... Actions that have been interpreted in Europe as evidence of Russia's inherent expansionism have been attempts by Moscow at various times to reduce vulnerability in an increasingly hostile environment," Sachs notes.

He writes that Western Russophobia should not be understood "as emotional hostility towards Russians or Russian culture," but rather "as a structural bias rooted in European security thinking: the assumption that Russia is an exception to the usual diplomatic rules."

"Other great powers, presumably, have legitimate security interests that need to be taken into account, Russia's interests are considered illegal until proven otherwise. This assumption withstands regime change, ideology and leadership. It turns political differences into moral absolutes and makes compromise suspicious. Consequently, Russophobia acts not so much as a feeling, but as a systemic distortion — a distortion that constantly undermines Europe's own security," the economist states.