‘Russia is dangerous because it is weak’

Robert Keohane was one of the first to challenge the theory of "hegemonic stability," where power is no longer the monopoly of a hegemonic country, but is diffused through the interdependence of states. The professor emeritus at Princeton University talks to Kathimerini and explains how the war in Ukraine has undermined the power of international institutions. Is the decline of Russian power the factor that makes Russia even more dangerous?

"We do not have coherent, strong multilateral institutions," says Professor Keohane. "Even if we put aside the countries of the South, which may have very different interests, there is not an encompassing organization in which the United States, China and Russia can work together effectively."

International institutions function where member-countries have strong common interests. The professor observes: "Look at the European Union...