Do the EU and NATO threaten Russian security? This book explores the rise of these exclusive ‘inter-democratic’ security institutions after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the ensuing effects on relations with Russia. Two competing theories are tested to explore whether these institutions aggravate or mitigate the security dilemma with Russia. Glenn Diesen argues that a European security architecture that demotes the largest state on the continent to an object of security inevitably results in ‘European integration’ becoming a zero-sum geopolitical project that has set the West on a collision course with Russia.