Russia One Year Ago

The following is an essay I wrote on Russia and her relationship with the West in June of 2007. Will this be enough to get me into SAIS? Please? S'il vous plait? Min fadlak?

Global Cooling

The United States and a More Assertive Russia

With the Group of 8 Conference in full swing, the majority of public focus is on the issue of global warming. However, perhaps some attention should be paid to the cooling relations between two of the world’s largest military powers. Although the rivalry between the United States and Russia has turned into an uneasy friendship since the end of the Cold War 16 years ago, the two nations have seen their already tenuous relationship take a turn away from progress in recent years. Perhaps this is the effect of Russian assertiveness that has resulted from a recent economic boom or a newfound confidence from a leadership that has seemed to secure domestic power indefinitely. Regardless, the United States and its allies must take affirmative steps to integrate Russia into the global community in an effort to help Russia grow and bring stability to a region of the world that desperately needs it.

The Russian economy has fared well recently due to the increase in the global demand for fossil fuels. This economic success has led the Kremlin to become more aggressive in its foreign policy. Specifically, the Russian government has made a recent push to reestablish its influence in former Soviet bloc areas. Russian military movement in the former Soviet republics is frequent and rarely questioned. For example, Moldova and Georgia have requested that Russian forces be removed from their borders without any action taking place. More concerning is the lack of international objection to the infringement on those nations’ sovereignty.

Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of Ukraine’s parliamentary opposition, claims that Vladimir Putin is susceptible to outside criticism. He advises that Western leaders take advantage of this sensitivity and speak against developments that take Russia further away from democracy and towards regression. The United States and other Western nations are not doing any favors for the Russian people by abstaining to criticize the Russian government for its recent diplomatic tactics. In fact, by remaining silent, the West is effectively allowing Russia to pursue its imperialist ambitions unchecked.

The United States and its allies need to place counterweights on Russian expansion by helping foster relations between Russia and its European neighbors. The easiest way to accomplish this would be to bolster the independence of the former Soviet block states, such as the Ukraine, so that they may work together with Russia to form some sort mutually beneficial relationship. The more secure Russia feels with its neighbors, the less inclined it may feel to pursue its imperial ambitions. To complement this, Europe and the United States should welcome Russia into international agreements and talks to develop cooperation with the Kremlin. While trying to foster friendship, the Western powers should not be afraid to engage in dialogue with Russia that is frank and asserts the West’s point of view. By doing this, the West can show respect for the Kremlin that has not been seen since the days of the Soviet Union. The Russians will likely understand a policy based on respect rather than one that appeals solely to cooperation and friendship. This sort of policy can make the Russians feel like a respected peer instead of scolded teenager.

The West’s neglect of Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union has led to a nation that has been downgraded in the eyes of the community and as a result has become insecure in its place on the international scene. However, the West and Russia must realize that there can be a mutually beneficial relationship that will provide economic prosperity to both and desperately needed stability for the Kremlin. These two things, prosperity and stability, should focus the Russian government on domestic development rather than foreign conquests and provide the United States with a dramatically more subtle form of “containment” than that employed during the Cold War. Except this time, the United States may gain a powerful ally for the future instead of a crippled enemy left in the past.