Carnegie Moscow Center
From Vladimir Putin’s perspective, U.S. policies in the Middle East since the beginning of the Arab Awakening have been misguided, unprincipled, and dangerous, and Washington’s record of prognostication and intervention has been abysmal.
Snowden did not create the security-privacy dilemma, but he did illuminate a deeply rooted problem that Western leaders have long tried to obscure.
Putin will make it clear again that Russian domestic politics is off limits to Washington. By the time Obama arrives for his scheduled visit to Moscow, Snowden will have left the airport, and be silent.
Edward Snowden’s stay in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport has contributed to the already charged atmosphere of U.S.-Russia relations.
The Euro-Atlantic security community is the most successful to date. But can it rise to the challenge of integrating post-Soviet nations—perhaps even Russia itself?
Russia has the potential to play a critical role as a global mediator, moderating international tension and fostering global understanding. Unfortunately, as things stand today, this potential remains unrealized.
Shifts in Russia’s foreign policy following Putin’s return to power result from significant changes in the country’s domestic situation and a shifting global environment.
The Russian and Chinese states are trying to use Snowden, as well as Assange, to discredit liberal democracies—above all, the United States. The Kremlin also sees the Snowden case as a way to crack down on democratic freedoms inside of Russia.
It remains to be seen whether the Russian and American presidents can establish a productive relationship for the remainder of Obama’s term and what role Susan Rice, the new U.S. national security advisor, will have in shaping U.S. policy toward Russia.
Putin does not want a collision with the West, but at the same time he wants to contain the West both within and around Russia.