OPINION & EDITORIAL
America, treat Russia with some respect
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Also by Joe Trovato:
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by Joe Trovato
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
It seems that with much of American foreign policy attention focused on the Middle East, the United States has begun to forget about its old Cold War adversary Russia. Yet, if the United States is committed to winning the global War on Terror, it had better try to salvage what is left of the steadily deteriorating relationship with the Russians.
The United States above all countries should know something about Russian influence; after all, it spent a good half of a century fighting it. Yet it seems since the end of the Cold War, America has pursued an arrogant foreign policy toward Russia, seemingly treating interest in Russia as a thing of the past.
Give George H.W. Bush's administration credit, though. A deed not often acknowledged is its handling of the former Soviet satellite states upon the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Mr. Bush's accomplishments, especially in the Central Asian states, should actually go down as some of the most important American foreign policy successes of the post-Cold War period.
After the dissolution of the Soviet empire, Mr. Bush insisted U.S. policymakers exercise some restraint and treat the collapsing superpower with dignity and respect. At the same time, his foreign policy focused largely on improving American relations in the old Soviet republics and easing their transition into capitalist market economies by offering aid and promoting disarmament. The United States is still feeling the positive effects of these policies today.
Outside of these accomplishments, American foreign policy quickly became cold and distant toward its old nemesis when it was no longer regarded as a threat. With sharp criticism from then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton during the 1992 presidential campaign on his opponent's focus on foreign policy, Mr. Bush backed away from sending a massive aid package to Russia that could have helped it get back on its feet economically.
With Mr. Clinton's victory in 1992, it ended an era of promise and reconciliation in Russo-American relations, as the Clinton administration, as put by Dimitri Simes in Foreign Affairs, failed miserably by "taking advantage of Russia's weakness."
The Russian threat was arrogantly cast aside as a thing of the past, and Mr. Clinton and Congress took a self-interested approach toward the crippled nation. Mr. Clinton attempted to get everything he could out of Russia while it was down, and American policymakers tried to convince the Russians that Americans knew what was best for them.
The United States went as far as condoning Russian President Boris Yeltsin's desire to do away with the Russian Duma, Russia's representative legislature, as long as the country kept progressing economically. This continued economic development in Russia of course served Mr. Clinton's interests, but it risked Russia once again becoming a modern authoritarian regime. All in all, during the '90s, the Clinton administration simply assumed Russia could not and would not be a world power any time in the near future.
That brings us to today, when the George W. Bush administration has largely carried on the same arrogant disregard for the resurgent power of the Russians. And what a surprise — Russia has suddenly reemerged as global power with the willingness and the ability to counter U.S. interests specifically in the Middle East, and worse yet, they have not forgotten the arrogance of American foreign policy when they were on their knees.
While American influence and prestige in the Middle East has weakened, Russian influence has been steadily increasing, and only now when Russia is suddenly becoming so important again are policymakers beginning to open their eyes to the real power Russia is once again enjoying.
Now the United States and Congress, which has turned its foreign policy focus from Russia to the Middle East, finds itself once again having to deal with the Russians in order to make any progress in the region. It's suffice to say Russia is loving the fact that the United States must come crawling to them to advance policy in the Middle East much like the Russians had to come crawling to us in the '90s.
Besides its arms sales to Iran and Syria, Russia's effort to legitimize Hamas in Palestine has made it increasingly difficult for the United States to bring about meaningful negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been surprisingly successful in returning Russia to a prestigious position of power in the region, and he has taken on an increasingly Cold War-like hostility toward the United States and a sense of his own power that should be unnerving to anyone in Washington.
It is for this reason the United States must work at mending the fragile relationship with Russia and again recognize it as a power that needs to be given some credibility. If the United States is truly committed to victory in the War on Terror and in bringing democracy to the Middle East, it is going to have to do it by dealing with an increasingly powerful Russian state.
Joe Trovato (jtrovato@wisc.edu) is a sophomore majoring in journalism.
AdeMartin Gbafe (December 5, 2007 @ 5:18am):
Joe,
This is one of the most realistic view of Russia/American relations I have read to date. The careless notion that America knows best how a country should be run ignores a fundamental fact that all men are not equal. America disregards Russia because it feels that it is no longer a Super-Power. I laugh.! Even a superpower like America has struggled to rein-in Iraqi warlords. A superpower America has spent over $400Bln fighting a bunch of insurgents in Iraq. America should forget the notion that Russia would be a workover for them in the eventuality of a Russian-American war. America believes that since the Russian style of government is not a copy of its own, then there is no point thinking about Russia. You see, Superpower might is in Willpower and then armament and not just military might. (Remember Vietnam, America pulled out of there). Russia deserves recognition not just to counter the US militarily, but to check a politically uni-polar and undemocratic world where things must be seen through the eyes of the US. (Remember the Iraqi WMDs that were never found, yet the US wants everyone to believe they know best). The emergence of China and the reemergence of Russia has helped in some ways to check tyranical American leaders (Linden Johnson, GW Bush) who attack nations because they are not their client-states. If not for the opposition from Russia and China, the US would have attacked Iran only to discover that they suspended their Nuclear Weapons Program since 2003. Sadly though that American policy makers really don't respect public opinion. I will like to tell them that American Intelligence was and may still be trash. (IRAQ, Vietnam, Iran)
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 10:53am):
"After the dissolution of the Soviet empire, Mr. Bush insisted U.S. policymakers exercise some restraint and treat the collapsing superpower with dignity and respect. At the same time, his foreign policy focused largely on improving American relations in the old Soviet republics and easing their transition into capitalist market economies by offering aid and promoting disarmament. The United States is still feeling the positive effects of these policies today."
Actually, George HW Bush largely ignored the collapse of the USSR and its satellite states. He did this because he was continuing his predecessor, Reagan's, policies of focusing foreign policy on Latin America. Why you think George HW Bush's policy toward Russia was particularly good baffles me. He didn't do anything noteworthy, or really anything at all, because he was too focused on Noriega and other loose ends Reagan failed to tie up in Latin America. Stick to your journalism major buddy, stay away from the poli sci/IR analysis because apparently it's beyond you.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 10:57am):
Hey Joey, ask the Europeans how they feel about Russia? You'd be surprised at how stupid you really are!
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 12:12pm):
Jo-jo, Russia is no friend of ours. Welcome back to the Cold War.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 12:40pm):
FEWER WHITE MALES WRITING COLUMNS PLEASE
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 3:06pm):
FEWER WHITE MALES WRITING COLUMNS PLEASE
What a well-thought, measured request.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 4:54pm):
great article...i, like you, agree that Russia is once again developing into one of our nation's greatest foes. Russia is someone we have to take seriously and someone that we're going to be dealing with for a long time to come.
Anonymous (December 5, 2007 @ 4:59pm):
and by the way 10:53 and apparently 10:57 (although I'm not sure what you're alluding to, the author is obviously claiming that Russia is indeed acting more like its old Cold War self) What makes you such an expert in foreign policy? it seems to me that this is a much more mature approach to such a volatile situation. 10:53 you obviously have not done your research and are very naive about international relations and history if you think that Bush didn't do a lot to make those central asian republics pro-US. YOU are obviously the ignorant one.
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