Foreign Relations With Russia Essay

The United States and Russia both emerged from WW2 as superpowers. Both of these nations had vastly different ideologies regarding government and the economy. As these two nations struggled to gain increased power and influence globally it seemed almost inevitable that yet another war would ensew. Yet matters were complicated by what had originally been an American super weapon- the atomic bomb which first tests were conducted in 1945. This atomic bomb technology had been stolen by the soviets and each side now possessed enough of these deadly weapons to end the world. As such neither side could choose to directly confront one another as such as action would almost certainly bring about M.A.D. Simalutanly the waning influence of the French and British empires led to numerous liberation movements globally in which various groups fought for control of the former colonies. Such an environment fostered much concern and brought about the American policy of Containment. Containment was a policy originally devised by U.S. diplomat George F. Kennan. Kennan had long observed the soviet union and was aware of the desire of the Soviet Union to expand and become a global empire through the use of Marxist satellite states and allies. Kennan theodore established the basis of containment which involved effectively stopping the formation of new communist nations (with military force if necessary) in order to subvert soviet influence whilst simultaneously avoiding a potential nuclear war.

One country is comparable to the United States of America in terms of world power and prominence. Russia makes their name known beginning in World War 2 (WW2), later in the Korean War, Cold War, and today’s proxy war in the Syria. Russia’s culture, environment, politics, military, and economy do not just make Russia a regional powerhouse, but slowly becoming a region of influential power to surrounding countries with the end state of a global superpower. All the factors that make Russia the powerhouse that it is slowly becoming, highlights the impressive trend that supersedes the previous Soviet Union and past leaders.

Though it may sound heartless and selfish, the needs and aims of countries usually are the primary factor controlling their foreign relations. During the period of the czars, from 1547 to 1917, Russia’s need for land and modernization shaped its relationships with Western Europe and the Ottoman Empire, causing Russia’s leaders to respect and imitate Western Europe while competing with the European powers to fill the power vacuum of the failing Ottoman Empire.

Jessica Taylor of NPR talks about how “Donald Trump's praise towards the Russian President Vladimir Putin” is creating controversy once again after his interview on Thursday to state-funded Russian Television. It is pretty obvious to the everyday American that the U.S. lags behind Russia in the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), and that as America's global influence diminishes, a potential nuclear war with Russia could have earth-shattering effects. With these rising tensions and a nuclear war threatening on the horizon, one would imagine a President to work to relieve the possible threat. No President since Ronald Reagan has made efforts to work, or possibly find an ally within Russia. Over the past 8 years, President

When it comes to critiquing Jeffrey Goldberg’s article, the four constellations of issues approach will be used. The first constellation comprises of humanitarian disasters and respect for sovereignty. Many Americans like Samantha Powers believe in the doctrine known as “responsibility to protect” (Page 4). Thus to people like her, sovereignty should not be considered “inviolate” provided that a country is “slaughtering its own citizens” (Page 4). President Obama does not agree with Samantha Powers (unless there is a direct security threat) and Russia vehemently disagrees with that doctrine. Analyzing Putin’s 2007 Munich Security Conference speech, he believes in respecting other nation’s right to self-govern the way they see fit (Page 2). For instance, Putin says “What will happen with Kosovo and Serbia? Only Kosovars and Serbs can know. Let’s not tell them how they should live their lives. There is no need to play God and resolve all of these peoples’ problems” (Page 18). This basically means that even in the face of “atrocities” or other humanitarian disasters; respect for sovereignty is still top priority for Putin and Russia. In contrast, the doctrine “responsibility to protect” usually lead to intervention in the face of atrocities committed by various individuals in different countries.

For decades, the United States and Russia, formerly The Soviet Union, have held tensions with each other over different political stances and military actions and intelligence. Starting from the late years of World War II - when the Soviet Union had aggressively spread communism throughout Eastern Europe - up to a couple years ago when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine out of nowhere; their relationship has been a rollercoaster of a ride for these two countries. Even though the United States and Russia are no longer in a Cold War, there has been and continues to be tension between the two countries as exemplified by many events of conflict including the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Russian military’s current presence in Syria.

Since the founding of the United States in 1776 (State Files), the future military superpower was noticed on the radar of many countries. One of these many countries is Russia. Russia and the United States have had a multitude of relationships going from helping each other defeat the German advances in World War II, to threatening to wipe each other off of the planet in the Cold War. With all of the examples from the fearful Cold War, it should be easy to come to the assumption, The United States and Russia need to become allies to prevent world chaos.

The United States and Russia have been battling off pernicious factions menacing the stability of their democracies over the years. Russia has come a long way over the past century, enduring a number of different phases that have completely desecrated any power Russia may have had paralleled to the rest of the world. The United States, however, has been evolving into a prosperous world power that has led to new respect from many other nations. Both Russia and the United States have struggled in the past at maintaining a significant amount of cultural commitment to preservation of specific aspects of their respective democracies. Having a relatively new democracy, Russian citizens have different perceptions and expectations of government from those of United States citizens. With new liberties and freedoms, Russians are struggling to grasp the concept of capitalism and participation in government. In order to preserve strong features of democracy, such as the right to vote or freedom of speech, a country 's constituents must respect and positively view their government. They must have faith in that the government is working for their best interests. Physically, the United States and Russia have been impacted greatly by their geography. Historically, the backgrounds of Russia and the United States are of stark contrast. Traditionally, Russians have a difficult time believing in the stability of their government as it has changed a number of times.

The United States and Russia have had different views since the beginning. They have had different views on the type of government that the feel is the best to run a country. Also, the way the government is structured and finally the civil liberties that is given to the people from a document like our bill of rights. Many people think that the United States and Russia are completely different, but the truth is that the United States and Russia have more in common in the government aspect then people think.

This week’s reading focused on the changes that took place in the Russian Federation after the presidency of George W. Bush. In class and previous readings, we got a teaser about how the start of the Obama administration in 2008 allowed for a “reset” in relations between the United States and Russia. This second portion of Elkin’s Russia Turns the Page: Historic Sketches of the End of the Post-Soviet Period: A History of the New Russia in 2007-2014. Sheds light on the events that are currently some of the most pressing issues for both nations. In addition, Elkin’s ability to offer an “insider” perspective on some of the varying power dynamics within the Russian Federation made for a very unique read.

Commitment to international security has been a point of conflict between Russia and the U.S. Historically the U.S. has abided by an ideology of universalism, “by which all nations share a common interest in all the affairs of the world” whereas Russia, formerly the USSR, has abided by the sphere-of-influence view, “by which each great power would be assured by other great powers of predominance in its own area of special interest” (Origins, p.26). Therefore, it is imperative that U.S. leadership protects the sovereignty of

SUMMARY: As of 26JUL17, major international players are warning the U.S. against imposing further sanctions on Russia, saying that doing so could further isolate America from the world community. EU President Jean-Claude Juncker issued a warning to the U.S. stating that the “bloc would act “within days” if it doesn’t get assurances that new sanctions wouldn’t significantly impact European interests. The economic bloc worries that American sanctions developed without their input could jeopardize the continent’s energy security.

Trump’s close ties with Russia have been unsettling to many and Putin’s announcement of a willingness to reconcile after Trump’s election even more so. Before Trump’s apparent friendship with President Vladimir Putin, American leaders have usually been standoffish toward Russian leaders. The tensions of the Cold War were never resolved, simply placed on the back burner when the Soviet Union fell, which left a lot of loose ties and unsaid words between the two countries. It is possible that Trump could secure a new alliance with Russia and Putin, but history has proven this task might be a tough process- while our leaders may be close, people from both countries have reservations, vividly remembering the Cold War and the terror at the possibility of annihilation at the hands of a country across the

Russia and the United States maintain diplomatic and trade relations. The relationship was generally warm under Russia's President Boris Yeltsin until the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the spring of 1999, and has since deteriorated significantly under Vladimir Putin. We can only hope that Moscow can be fully defeated or that it can become a friend and fellow democracy. But Russia is not a democracy, nor is it democratizing, and although Russia may be in secular decline, it is a major power on the world stage which is not a good thing for the United

Russia, known by most as the Russian Federation, is a federal state in Eurasia. Russia is the largest country in the world at 17,075,200 square kilometres by surface area, covering more than one eighth of Earth 's inhabited land, and the ninth most populous, with over 146.6 million people as of end of March 2016. The European western part of the country is much more populated and urbanised than the East, with almost eight-tenths of the population living within the European region of Russia. Russia 's capital, Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe and the world. Its ohter major urban cities include Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara.