NEWS / RUSSIAN FOREIGN POLICY JANUARY 2009       Site map

29.01.2009 Foreign Policy in Review December, 2008 - January, 2009 The following resource is meant to quickly introduce the reader to Russia's relations with other countries (excluding most of Eurasia, which has its own review). For more news reviews, see the newsletter for this corresponding month. To receive SRAS's free monthly newsletter and obzori by email, simply sign up.     Europe The Gas War This heavily-covered event is covered by a seperate obzor on our site. Concern Over Russian 'Test' As Czechs Take Over EU Presidency Diplomats in Brussels say that more than anything else, Prague is likely to find itself tested by a resurgent Russia. Germany and Russia: Bearhugged by Uncle Vlad Germany's relationship with Vladimir Putin's Russia is the most puzzling and troubling feature of modern European politics.   Barack Obama What Might, Should, or Won't Change Putin says likes Obama, but urges caution Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin praised incoming U.S. President Barack Obama as "sincere and open" Saturday but said Moscow needed to see how he turned out in practice. Mr. Putin's Bluff The Russian leader claims to be expecting major concessions from the Obama administration. Many Russians Believe Obama Will Warm Moscow-Washington Relations After Barack Obama becomes president, he should establish better contacts and improve ties with Russia. Looking into Obama's eyes Few people know what Henry Kissinger, America's best diplomat in the last half century, was doing in Moscow over this past weekend, but it is clear that the United States will have to make some very serious and morbid decisions. Obama chides Russia but promises new relations In an interview on NBC program "Meet the Press" broadcast Sunday, Obama said he was determining when he would meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev or the country's powerful prime minister, Vladimir Putin. Two countries with different priorities The future of Russian–American relations under President-elect Barack Obama will depend on several domestic and foreign policy factors. How Obama Can Reform Russia Policy One of the incoming Obama administration's top foreign policy priorities should be to stop the drift toward confrontation with Russia. The war in Georgia last summer demonstrated the dangers of an American policy that encourages Russia's neighbors to attack what Russia sees as its vital interests. Towards a Biden-Putin Commission With the gravity of issues at stake in Obama's first 100 days, I suspect Russia and U.S./Russian relations will not make the top of the chart, despite even the recent gas crisis. New U.S. administration set to boost ties with Russia At a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for secretary of state said she planned to work very closely with Russia on key economic, security, nonproliferation and arms control issues. Russia's Next Flash Point Russia's coercion of its neighbors is a looming flash point for Europe and the United States, and President-elect Barack Obama. Russia hopes US will not seek NATO expansion Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russia hopes the new U.S. president will not raise tensions by making Ukrainian and Georgian membership in NATO a priority.   The Past  Bush, Rice, Reagan, and Nixon Nixon's dance partners return to the global stage President Nixon realized that a key to Cold War stability was a U.S.-led dance among the United States, China and Russia. Now, 18 years after the end of the Cold War, the global economic crisis has revived the need for this delicate pirouette. Bush 'friendly' with Putin, but predicts tense ties President George W. Bush said Thursday he was leaving the White House on friendly terms with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, but predicted "a lot of tensions" in future US relations with Russia. Reagan's Evolving Views on Russians and their Relevance Today We seem to have fallen into seeing Russia exclusively as "aggressor and expansive". We need to get over these stereotypes in a hurry. Reversing the Decline: An Agenda for U.S.-Russian Relations in 2009 As the Bush administration comes to a close, U.S.-Russian relations have fallen to their lowest level since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Bush's 'orphans' haunt the world An aggressive Russia and proliferating nukes represent twin failures in the president's legacy. Condoleezza Rice on Russia Transcript of 'Fox News Sunday' interview Remarks At the 2008 International Human Rights Day Awards Ceremony Secretary Condoleezza Rice hosted International Human Rights Day Awards Ceremony Stop Baiting the Bear Fixing relations with Russia will take undoing a dozen years of Western missteps. A Crossroad for Russia and America In August of last year, a new Russia presented itself to the world. From the battlefield of Georgia, the message said: We are no longer seeking the good opinion of the West.   The Media Who's Spinning Who? Putin's Russia Reaches Out This month's "The Atlantic" has a little essay of interest by Washington-based journalist Joshua Kucera. He tells of a few encounters he had with a Russian Embassy "official" who offered him a few hundred dollars every now and again to publish stories about "what we are doing in the Russian government." Editorial Malpractice This hardline, deeply flawed position by one of the nation's most influential editorial pages has played a leading role in driving America and Russia to the brink of a new cold war. Worst EU Lobbying Award 2008 Nominees: GPlus and Aspect Consulting The Brussels-based PR and lobbying agencies Gplus and Aspect Consulting, which represent Russia and Georgia respectively, were nominated for attempting to distort the public's perception of the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia by putting out misleading and deceptive information about the situation on the ground..   Events Affecting US-Russia Relations U.S. 'concerned' over Russian police raid on Memorial office The U.S. State Department has expressed serious concern over a police search of the St. Petersburg offices of the Memorial human rights organization. How Russians Count New York Crowds How many people pass through Times Square each day? Tracking the river of humanity is tackled by dozens of Russian immigrants armed with clipboards, folding chairs and counters. Key U.S. lawmaker calls for new approach to Russia The United States must fix its relationship with Russia partly because it needs a partner in Moscow to help deal with Iran, the chairman of the House of Representatives foreign policy committee said. Beginning of a Working Meeting with Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak Judging by the statements made by the President-elect and those who will form his administration, we perceive a desire to develop our relations and, incidentally, this was also reflected in the telephone conversation we had when I phoned to congratulate the new President of the United States of America. New U.S. Envoy to Russia Echoes Father Who Fought for Soviets During the last desperate months of the war, a starving 21-year-old from Muskegon, Mich., crossed the eastern front by foot and offered his services to a Soviet tank battalion, using the three words of Russian he had learned as a German prisoner of war — Ya Amerikansky tovarishch, or "I am an American comrade!" Senator Lays Out 'Set of Principles' U.S. will Stick to in Dialogue with Russia Democratic Senator, John Kerry, an incoming chairman of the U.S. Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, said dialogue with Russia was important for Washington, but this dialogue "will not come at the expense" of Georgia's security and sovereignty. As if Things Weren't Bad Enough, Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S. For a decade, Russian academic Igor Panarin has been predicting the U.S. will fall apart in 2010. A Disintegrating U.S.? Critics Come Unglued For seriously predicting that the United States will break into six parts in June or July of 2010, Igor Panarin has suddenly become a Russian state-media celebrity. Russian Furor Over U.S. Adoptions Follows American's Acquittal in Boy's Death The grim case of a Washington-area toddler who died of heatstroke after his father left him in a parked vehicle for nine hours is national news in Russia, fodder for angry political commentary and kitchen-table discussion. Russia offers Obama olive branch on missiles Russia has halted plans to deploy missiles near the Polish border, a Russian news agency quoted the military as saying on Wednesday, in what could be a sign Moscow is seeking better ties with the new U.S. president.   Arctic Russian MP says Arctic shelf 'historically' belongs to Moscow A Russian lawmaker and a presidential envoy on Arctic and Antarctic international cooperation said on Thursday that Russia would not cede its right to Arctic shelf exploration to any other state. White House Directive Guides Policy on Arctic The White House last week issued a new policy directive to guide government decisions involving the Arctic, a document that outlines an array of challenges the incoming administration will face as rising temperatures spark a surge in economic and military   Afghanistan U.S. Strikes Afghanistan Supply Deals The U.S. has struck deals with Russia and neighboring countries allowing it to transport supplies to American troops in Afghanistan through their territory, the head of U.S. Central Command said Tuesday. What price Russian cooperation on Afghanistan? "Russia is very worried about the drugs coming out of Afghanistan and has been supportive in terms of providing alternative routes for Europeans in particular to get equipment and supplies into Afghanistan,"   Gazprom Series from NPR Russia Pushes To Grow Gazprom's Reach, Control Gazprom, Russia's giant gas monopoly, is the world's largest producer of natural gas. The company lies at the center of the Kremlin's strategy to boost control over global energy supplies and, many believe, its political influence. Gas Monopoly Fuels, Finances Moscow's Might More than just a gas supplier, Gazprom is also a bank, an oil firm and a media company that helps enforce the government's control over formerly independent television stations and newspapers. Natural Gas Powers Russian-German Ties Germany is the biggest customer of the Russian state natural gas monopoly, Gazprom. But it is among the many European countries becoming increasingly dependent on energy from Russia. Serbia Plays Key Role In Russian Gas Pipeline Plans Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had reason to look pleased when he met Serbian President Boris Tadic in Moscow on Christmas Eve. The two leaders finalized an agreement for Gazprom, Russia's behemoth state gas monopoly, to buy a controlling interest in Serbia's state oil and gas industry — and a plan for Russia to construct a gas pipeline through the country.   The West General Issues and Commentary Nick Rice, Putting Russia's record straight With Russian equities at dramatically low valuations, investors are beginning to look for those companies that will emerge in the wake of the financial crisis stronger and more efficient. Battling Russophobia Anti-Russian stereotypes have become commonplace in the west. It's up to the media not to spoil a vital relationship. Provoking Russia Once again, the West's policy toward Russia and its addiction to interfering in the affairs of other countries is having dangerous effects on the rest of the world. The seeds for the current danger were sown by NATO's expansion to Russia's borders after the fall of the Soviet Union. Don't destabilize Russia, Putin warns foes Any attempts to weaken or destabilize Russia, harm the interests of the country will be toughly suppressed. Medvedev: we will fight to defend interests Russia reserves the right to use force again to defend its interests and will not tolerate attempts by Western powers to contain it, President Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview broadcast. Universal illusion of human rights We are witnessing the utter failure of the great experiment launched by Western civilization to turn the declaration-defined human rights concept into an ideological stick, which would enable it to dominate many other countries.   Other Africa, the Middle East, Venezuela, etc. Russia courts the Muslim world Islam preceded christianity on our territory, says Putin. Alleged arms smuggler Bout testifies in Thailand Bout identified himself to the court as "a 41-year-old businessman." He spoke in Russian, which was translated to Thai. Let Russia Stop Iran If Russia were to support much stronger economic pressure on Iran, Mr. Obama could proceed on a double track: first to put the threat of military intervention back on the table, but also to offer to conduct direct talks with Iran without preconditions. Partners In Crime The administrations of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and Vladimir Putin in Russia are enjoying a robust, burgeoning friendship. Diplomatic Efforts Will Be Stepped Up in Africa Russia is planning to step up its diplomatic involvement in African issues including Sudan's Darfur crisis, the country's envoy to Sudan said on Sunday. One man's story from the Gaza strip As the Operation Cast Lead has come to an end in Gaza, experts around the world are trying to estimate what both the Arab and the Israeli sides have gained and lost in this latest conflict. The Moscow News decided to look at the problem from a different perspective and interview a refugee, Ramzi Azimir, who was forced to flee to Russia with his Russian wife and their children.   Study Politics in Russia The Library: Politics in Russia SRAS Resources for Teachers   Find out more! SRAS Travel Services More Study Abroad Programs Internships in Russia Heath and Safety in Russia The SRAS Newsletter Journal for Students More Free Resources!  Questions or comments? Contact the editor « back to News archive print this page email this page