Carnegie Moscow Center
Both the Kremlin and the Russian opposition hope to use the United States and its policies to serve their own domestic agendas.
If the Russian authorities want to gain a free hand in implementing their social and economic measures, they must first extricate themselves from the current political crisis.
Whoever wins the U.S. presidency, Washington’s Russia policy needs a reassessment and a rethink. The choice for the new administration lies between keeping Russia on the periphery of the U.S. foreign policy and treating Russia as an asset in America’s global strategy.
For Russians, Obama seems to be a better choice for the next U.S. president, but in general, the Kremlin and the Russian public are watching the U.S. election rather calmly. It is a sign that the countries are no longer enemies but are not great friends.
The United States needs to begin paying more attention to Russia as part of its Asia-Pacific strategy if it wants a more stable balance to emerge in this critical region.
Sooner or later, Russia will have to decide whether to de-hermetize or to reproduce a system of personalized power that can only push the nation toward disaster.
The Petersburg Dialogue was set up to bring together a cross section of Russian society and encourage the country's transition to democracy. It hasn't worked that way.
An increasing number of German politicians from the main political parties are questioning Berlin's special relationship with Russia under President Vladimir V. Putin.
The recent regional elections have shown that rather than making the political system more open and competitive, the Kremlin has found new ways to outmaneuver the opposition while maintaining its hold on power.
Through the recent parliamentary elections and pending peaceful transfer of power, Georgia has made several important strides toward establishing democracy and rule of law.