Carnegie Moscow Center
If Prime Minister Putin decides to run in Russia's 2012 presidential elections, there will be wide-ranging implications for both Russia and the international community.
Following the reset in U.S.-Russian bilateral relations, Moscow continues to be an important partner for Washington in tackling many 21st century problems. By seeking engagement on multiple levels, the two countries can work to strengthen collaboration.
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 ushered in a time of momentous social and political change, including in Russia, but Russia’s development followed a different path than that of many Eastern European countries.
After two decades of stagnation, Russia and the United States have pledged their support for reductions in nuclear warheads. But the vision of mutual disarmament remains plagued by doubts on all sides.
The Arab revolts are pushing Western governments to reject a pragmatic approach to foreign relations in favor of support for democratic values and human rights, with potentially significant effects on Russia’s relations with the West.
Even as overall relations between the United States and Russia have improved in recent years, progress has also been made on arms control, a vital aspect of Russian-American relations.
April 12 marked the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight. Today, space exploration offers the promise of new technologies and solutions to critical challenges facing the international community.
As NATO debates its future nuclear policy, it should focus on concrete measures to maintain a credible nuclear deterrent in the medium term and avoid abstract debates over complete disarmament or the need to keep nuclear weapons indefinitely.
Moscow's position on military intervention in Libya plays into Russia's foreign policy focus on modernization and cooperation with Western Europe and the United States and is likely to be a factor in the upcoming 2012 presidential elections.
Russia’s decision to abstain on the UN Security Council resolution on Libya marked a new milestone in the evolution of Moscow’s foreign policy toward a more pragmatic approach.