title: Introduction
abstract: One of the main messages of this still new Millennium is that realist geopolitics is back with a vengeance. It is of course debatable whether “hard power” geopolitics actually ever disappeared from the scene, and its role is obviously key in any discussion about the darkening of optimistic visions of a post-Cold War order based on multilateralism and cooperation. The aggressive politics of the Russian Federation have hampered the search for a more productive European Union-Russia relationship an