What they mean when they talk about Russia

3 october 2012

Jeffrey Mankoff
http://eng.globalaffairs.ru/book/What-they-mean-when-they-talk-about-Russia-15674

Jeffrey Mankoff is deputy director and fellow with the CSIS Russia and Eurasia Program and a visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York City.

Notwithstanding the impending departure of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the possibility of war with Iran, and the general crisis in the Middle East, a striking feature of this year’s presidential campaign has been the lack until quite recently of substantive discussion of foreign policy (See for instance Mitt Romney, “Mitt Romney: A New Course for the Middle East,” Wall Street Journal, 30 Sep 2012). With U.S. unemployment still high, both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney recognize that, even more than usual, this election will be decided by the economy. Nevertheless, the U.S. faces an increasingly complex international environment, and the candidates do voters a disservice by failing to articulate their foreign policy visions. Oddly, one issue the candidates have consistently discussed is U.S.-Russia relations. The two men’s comments about Russia have been sharply distinct, and provide insight not only into their thinking about Russia, but into their foreign policy thinking writ large.
For President Obama, talking about Russia has meant promoting the “reset” policy, first proclaimed in early 2009, as a successful example of a foreign policy based on engaging longtime rivals to gain support for U.S. objectives. Mitt Romney, conversely, has called Russia the “number one geopolitical foe” of the United States, accusing it of suppressing its own people and resisting U.S. global leadership. According to Romney, reaching out to regimes fundamentally at odds with U.S. interests is naïve, and Washington would do better to “show more backbone.” Obama’s foreign policy emphasizes engagement, the search for common interests, and, if necessary, horse-trading. Romney’s vision focuses on unapologetically standing up for U.S. interests and supporting traditional allies over reaching out to rivals. More at link.