Carnegie Moscow Center
Congressman Michael Turner spoke on the House defense act and its relation to the New START agreement, further nuclear reductions, U.S. nuclear targeting strategy, missile defense, and non-strategic nuclear weapons in Europe.
Under Secretary Robert D. Hormats, co-chair of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission's working group on innovation, discussed progress in the U.S.-Russia economic relationship following the G8 summit meeting in France between Presidents Obama and Medvedev.
Too often, debate on the relationship between Europe and Russia is driven by events—including elections, changes in leadership, and summits—which may provide important policy openings but do not always allow for thoughtful consideration of the long-term factors that shape the relationship.
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.
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.
The 2011 conference focused on new actors and new agendas, reflecting the need to develop cooperative responses to challenges being posed by changing technology, distributions of political power, interest in nuclear energy, and security conditions in key regions.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, but the nature of the organization and its role remain somewhat unclear.
Nuclear disarmament faded from media attention after the New START agreement was signed, but it remains a challenge for the world.
The U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission established by Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev opened a new chapter in bilateral relations between the United States and Russia, with a focus on institutions, specific deliverables, and long-term perspective.