Carnegie Moscow Center
The United States and Russia face a fundamental choice: to continue their transactional approach to relations or to put relations in a broader, longer-term strategic framework.
The new, harsher attitudes in the West toward Putin’s regime open a window of opportunity for both the West and Russia.
Supporters of the evolution of nuclear safeguards should resolve Russia’s concerns over the IAEA’s safeguards system so it can be adapted to new challenges.
It is unlikely that Obama will act to worsen U.S.-Russia relations during his second presidential term.
Barack Obama’s second term has the chance to become the vindication of his Nobel Peace Prize, but he will need to craft a very careful course on Iran, be wise on China, and become strategic on Russia.
Both the Kremlin and the Russian opposition hope to use the United States and its policies to serve their own domestic agendas.
Barack Obama’s re-election may signal predictability in U.S.-Russian relations, but this relationship needs to be upgraded from largely tactical to strategic.
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.