16.09.2008
Foreign Policy in Review
Aug/Sept, 2008The following resource is meant to quickly introduce the reader to Russia's relations with other countries. For more news reviews, including our "News from Eurasia," which specifically covers Russia's relations with those countries of the former Soviet Union, see the newsletter for this corresponding month. To receive SRAS's free monthly newsletter and obzori by email, simply sign up. North Korea and Iran
Is Russia helping? Russia Calls on N. Korea to Complete Disablement of Nuclear Facilities
Moscow has urged Pyongyang to complete disablement of nuclear facilities in Yongbyon by late October, Interfax reported.
Russia Gives Iran One More Chance
Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Andrey Nesterenko has expressed regret that Iran's response to the proposal of the "Six" intermediaries for negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program "In essence contains no response." Russia Convinced Iran Threat Implausible
"The tests that took place in Iran only confirm that Iran now has missiles with a range of 2000 km.," Cuba and Venezuela
Russian military allies? Russian Bombers Could Be Deployed to Cuba
Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons could be deployed to Cuba in response to U.S. plans to install a missile defense system in Eastern Europe. Chavez says Venezuela needs Russia for protection
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, visiting Moscow to pursue weapons and energy deals, on Tuesday called for a strategic alliance with Russia to protect his country from the United States. Two Russian bombers land in Venezuela
Two Russian bombers have landed at a Venezuelan airfield, from which they will carry out training flights for several days, the Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday. Bryza: 'Does Russia Wish To Be A Facilitator, Or A Party To Conflict?'
RFE/RL speaks with Matthew Bryza, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, about recent developments in the South Caucasus. Hopes of close cooperation between Russia and the west are now dead.
As BP is discovering, the change of leadership at the Kremlin will not end its autocratic and nationalistic policies. At last, a true moderniser in Moscow. Why punish him?
Despite western howls of suspicion, Medvedev is Russia's first post-Soviet leader. It would be lunacy to kick him into the cold. Russia's strengthens clout with energy.
As Russia's natural gas monopoly Gazprom intensifies its efforts to tap energy riches globally, the Kremlin appears set to rely on energy maneuverings as its key foreign policy instrument. Official Foreign Policy
Russia's stated policy concept Renewed Foreign Policy Concept Means No Change of Course
The renewed concept of Russia's foreign policy gives no grounds for speculating about a new course of President Dmitry Medvedev that would differ from the policy of Vladimir Putin. Medvedev's 'principles.'
This week, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev outlined five principles guiding Moscow's foreign policy. Here are two: Protect Russians "wherever they are" and attend to "privileged interests" in Moscow's areas of influence. Is this Cold War II? Fred Weir, Russia's plan to avert second cold war
Standoffs over Georgia and a US missile-defense shield stem from one main irritant: Moscow had no hand in designing global security after the USSR collapsed. Medvedev wants to fix that. Medvedev Unveils Little New In Russia's Foreign-Policy Course
Medvedev's freshly minted policy strategy, in most ways, is a close match for one published eight years ago at the start of Putin's presidency. Medvedev's Message to Ambassadors
Russia has finally recovered. It has risen from its knees and is ready for the next stage – forcing the rest of the world to their knees. Speech at the Meeting with Russian Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives to International Organisations
I would like to use this opportunity for an open and pragmatic conversation on the main aspects of Russian foreign policy. Arctic
Russia's claims a concern to the West U.S. experts say Russia 'is winning the Arctic race'
A top U.S. Coast Guard official has told lawmakers that Russia is getting ahead of the United States in the "Arctic race" and the current U.S. administration must urgently revise its approach to Arctic exploration. Staking a claim ... to not much
Russia's flag-planting at the North Pole might be for naught, as a report shows most of the Arctic's oil is spoken for. Window on Eurasia: Spitzbergen Becoming an Arctic Hot Spot for Russia, West
Moscow announced that it was sending its rocket cruiser Marshal Ustinov to patrol around the Spitzbergen archipelago to defend its rights under the 1920 Paris accord on the use of those Arctic islands. China, Japan, Turkey
On borders, passage, and agreements Russia Objects to Japanese Schoolbooks
The Japanese Ministry of Education and Science thinks the Southern Kurile Islands are part of Japanese territory that was illegally occupied by the Soviet Union and should be returned to Japan. Russia Turns Up The Pressure On Turkey
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to arrive in Ankara to discuss the presence of U.S. warships in the Black Sea, as well as Turkey's proposed Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Pact. Wary of China, Russians look West
Like his predecessor Vladimir Putin, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev followed his taking over the Kremlin, in May, with a visit to China. China and Russia settle territorial dispute
The treaty was signed in Beijing by the two countries' foreign ministers, ending forty years of tension over the 4-thousand-300 kilometre border. The area has seen armed clashes between China and the-then Soviet Union in years past. Russia And China Settle Longstanding Territorial Disputes
Russia and China signed a landmark deal on July 21, officially ending all outstanding territorial disputes between the two countries. NATO and OSCE
Debates heat up Russia questions NATO's ability to ensure global stability
The CSTO is a post-Soviet security alliance which also comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Russia fears NATO failure in Afghanistan will endanger its security.
Kabulov was more certain than Rogozin that political and military failure for NATO in Afghanistan is simply a question of time, unless, that is, the alliance could change its strategy and tactics. Can You Handle the Truth?
Views of Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin Russia to Withdraw Money from OSCE
After the abortive attempts to reorganize the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Moscow proceeded to direct threats. It was the RF Central Election Commission that was the first to attack, warning to stop paying annual contribution to ODIHR budget. UN
Russia blocks sanctions Russia Says U.N. Sec-Gen Overstepped Authority
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has overstepped his authority by sanctioning the reorganization of the U.N. mission in Kosovo and transfer of a portion of its functions to the EU. Russian veto raises questions about Medvedev
For one day, it looked like Russia and the West had finally found common ground: President Medvedev suggested Zimbabwe's leadership was in for sanctions. Russia and the UN. The return of Mr Nyet
An abrasive Russian veto is prompting fears at the UN of a new diplomatic logjam that recalls the bad old days. Russia has been consistent in its stance on Zimbabwe
There is in fact no contradiction whatsoever between what was discussed and agreed at the G8, and Russia's veto decision. EU
US to get missile system The destructive prejudices of Europe's new members
That discussions on all these issues are coloured by the very particular experience of the "new Europeans" is a good part of the explanation why no solutions are being reached. Russia: Poland risks attack because of US missiles
A top Russian general said Friday that Poland's agreement to accept a U.S. missile interceptor base exposes the ex-communist nation to attack, possibly by nuclear weapons. Czechs show how to avoid being dependent on Russia for energy
Within a day of the Russian cut, additional oil supplies were flowing through the IKL pipeline from Germany. A new thaw in EU-Russia relations?
The appointment of a new president could herald a new warmth, but Europe needs discipline if it is to maintain political leverage Poisonous Relations
Europe needs to figure out a way to come together to fight back against Russian aggression. US
Russia's claims a concern to the West Senator Tells Bush Not to Poke Russia in Eye
The missile defenses being formed by the United States "are not a defense against Iranian missiles" stated chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee Carl Levin, a democrat of Michigan. Russia appoints new ambassador to U.S.
President Dmitry Medvedev has named Sergei Kislyak, a deputy foreign minister and Moscow's representative in Iranian nuclear talks, as Russia's new ambassador to the United States. U.S. Ambassador Adopted Methods of Predecessor
The U.S. ambassador's residence in Moscow, Spaso House, held past week a reception party dedicated to the U.S. Independence Day. Russia calls for full probe into death of adopted baby in U.S.
The 21-month-old infant died after being left by his 49-year-old foster father for about five hours in the back of a car, in searing heat. Russia Doesn't Like Bush Soviet Crack
The Russian Foreign Ministry sharply criticized U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday for calling Nazi fascism and Soviet communism evils of the 20th century. Nearly Half of Russia Favors the U.S.
Forty seven percent of the Russians favor the United States in general, signaled the poll of All-Russia's Center for Public Opinion Studies. But only 2 percent of the polled manifest very good attitude to that country. US Elections Russian Diplomat Criticizes McCain's Proposal for G-8
The senior diplomat said the Kremlin wanted the U.S. electorate to "bear responsibility for its choice" in November. Russia Looks Undemocratic to McCain
"I don't think China is regressing the way that Russia is," McCain said. Obama opposes excluding Russia from G8
"It would be a mistake," Obama told CNN in an interview when asked about McCain's proposal. Russians Watch U.S. Presidential Race With Interest
The dynamism and drama of the U.S. campaign -- with open and sometimes contentious debates among candidates on national television -- present a sharp contrast to Russia's controlled and predictable elections. SENATOR BIDEN: We Need to Confront Russia's Oil Dominance with Aggressive, High Level Diplomacy
I can't think of anything that is more important to our energy policy than the issues we will discuss at this hearing. McCain: To Russia, without love
John McCain and his national security advisor both want to get tough with Russia -- but one of them got paid to say so. Does McCain have another lobbyist problem? John McCain's 70th birthday bash held on boat of Russian tycoon.
The McCain campaign wants to bury the story of McCain's 70th birthday bash held on board the yacht of a Russian aluminum tycoon in the Adriatic Sea. Russia: A useful enemy in US polls
The United States presidential candidates increasingly present Russia as a threat in their campaigns. Kick Russia out of G8 says McCain
U.S. presidential hopeful John McCain has again called for Russia to be booted out of the Group of Eight nations. McCain's Wrong on Russia ¬And So Is Obama.
One recent example is the Senator's recent statement on tensions between Georgia and Russia. Russia and the West Under Clinton and Bush
The bad news is that John McCain might be able to use Russia's military adventure in Georgia to help him win the presidency. If so, this will move us closer to making Russia (and sadly, the Russian people) back into our enemy. Commentary and Analysis
Focus on changing relation post-August 8th For more on reactions to events in the Caucasus, see our South Ossetia Obzor 10 Reasons Americans Should Care about Russia
Gefore the war we wrote a report on Ten Reasons Americans Should Care About Russia. It follows, and, as you will see, it remains valid. Perhaps as tempers cool, people of good will can consider what is at stake; what there is to gain, and what there is to lose. Why Georgia-Russia Conflict Is Significant For U.S.
The more crucial issue for the U.S. is whether it and the international community will allow the violation of international law and the use of force by "big countries against little ones" to go unpunished. Think Again: Return of the Cold War Punditocracy
The accounts presented in the American mainstream media, unfortunately, have simplified this complex regional conflict into black-and-white clash: evil Russia punishing the democratic and benevolent Georgia. Americans Play Monopoly, Russians Chess
The board game Monopoly is won by placing as many hotels as possible on squares of the playing board. Substitute military bases, and you have the sum of American strategic thinking. U.S.-Russia Relations: Facing Reality Pragmatically
Thomas Graham argues in this report that there are no easy paths to improved U.S.-Russia relations. The disappointments of the past 15 years have taken a heavy toll, and the global uncertainties of the present make it more difficult to overcome the distrust that frustrates improvement. Explaining Russian Motives On Georgia
The search for a way out of the dead end that Russia and the West now find themselves in will continue for some time, says Aleksei Malashenko of the Carnegie Moscow Center. This is no pipeline war but an assault on Russian influence
The flare-up of major hostilities between Russia and Georgia has been dubbed by some "the pipeline war". South Ossetia is not Kosovo
The difference between Kosovo and South Ossetia has been starker still in the war's aftermath. Saakashvili faces backlash as rural heartlands seek ties with Moscow
Tkviavi is the closest town inside Georgia "proper" to the border with South Ossetia and its capital, Tskhinvali. Its residents watched as Georgian troops poured up the road three weeks ago. Do States Have Right To Defend Citizens Abroad?
Much has been written about the disproportionate use of force by the Russian armed forces and the violation of Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty. However, the main premise of the Russian argument -- that Russia acted fully within its rights in defending its citizens in South Ossetia -- has gone unchallenged. Europe Chose Next Aim for Russia's Attack
In the West, they are clear about the next aim of Moscow – it is Ukrainian Crimea.
Russia Disturbed U.S. Caucasus Plans
Some Western political commentators have suggested that the sharp criticism from the U.S. is due to the fact that the move interferes with U.S. plans for the region. This Isn't the Return of History
The Georgia attack will go down not as the dawn of a new era of Russian power but as a major strategic blunder. Georgia's forgotten legacy
Georgia's recovery from losses of war and territory will be through a return to the strategy and values that underpinned its democratic revolution. To Be Free From America
The consensus in Washington holds that a revanchist Russia must be stopped before it is too late. Russia faces diplomatic isolation on Georgia
Even China, which often sides with Russia in diplomatic disputes, issued a veiled criticism of Moscow's actions, saying it was "concerned about the latest changes in South Ossetia and Abkhazia" and calling for dialogue to resolve the issue.
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