At a trans-Atlantic security conference held in Munich Feb. 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin harshly attacked the United States and its unilateral foreign policy. Putin's criticism seemed to refer to a hard-line Cold War mentality not seen since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Seven years ago, when Putin took office, President Bush and the Russian leader seemed to have a close relationship, in which both were committed to fighting terrorism and the spread of nuclear weapons. This is now a distant memory.

As of late, the Russian state has tried to reassert itself as a major player on the global stage, making projections of power in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.

According to The New York Times, even a top Russian general warned that "Russia could withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty," which Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev hammered out in 1987.

Russia's newfound power stems from high energy prices that have the world looking to exploit Russia's vast reserves of natural resources. Thus, Putin has been able to be more aggressive in advancing his own agenda in areas of American interest — such as the Middle East — using his energy resources as a foreign policy tool.

President Putin also complained about America's unilateral approach to foreign policy that began under the Clinton Administration and continued under President Bush. Referring specifically to NATO's war in Kosovo, Putin claimed that this unchecked American power in the '90s led to a complete disregard for Russian feelings. During the Cold War, the peace was reliable because of the fear of mutually assured destruction. "Today it seems that the peace is not so reliable." Putin said.

Just last month, The New York Times reported Russia "provided Iran with $700 million worth of TOR-M1 anti-aircraft batteries." These weapons are basically intended for deployment against U.S. fighters and bombers in the event of conflict, just as Russian anti-tank weapons "were used against Israeli forces fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon last year."

Putin defended these Russian arms sales to Iran, which is under pressure from the West to terminate its nuclear program, saying "We don't want Iran to feel cornered." This is mysterious, for Putin had long been committed to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. This appears to be another power projection to show that Russia is once again a major power that the West — which has largely disregarded Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union — can no longer overlook when shaping its foreign policy.

Russia and the United States are increasingly finding themselves on the opposite sides of policy all around the world. Whether it be in Iran, Iraq, Georgia, Lebanon or Kosovo, it almost seems that the two nations are back to playing a Cold War-like game of global chess. The New York Times reported that both countries were now "openly competing for influence in Europe, the Caucasus and in Central Asia."

Russian concerns over NATO's courting of nations such as Ukraine and Georgia, historically part of the Russian spheres of influence, and the Bush administration's hope to build missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic were also central to Putin's criticisms.

The United States is of course concerned with the sale of arms to Iran and Syria and Russia's threat to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, once such a symbol of the partnership between the two nations. According to The Washington Post, President Bush has continually tried to "prod (Putin) to recommit to democracy and better relations with his neighbors".

It is clear that Putin's criticisms of the United States in the post-Cold War world are part of a Russian attempt to reassert itself as a global player that the West must deal with. While the United States is certainly not free of blame in the rocky relationship that has thus developed, Putin's attack is both unwarranted and unnerving. Sen. Joe Lieberman even said that Putin's address was mostly "Cold War rhetoric" and that his position on Iran was both "outrageous" and "provocative."

Russia and the United States are obviously historical opposites, but this renewed tension is most likely the result of Russia's newfound power stemming from its energy resources, and its hope for retribution after a decade and a half of sole American supremacy in the post-Cold-War world.

Joe Trovato ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in journalism.