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Russia and the West
November 7, 2007
What is the Status of U.S. - Russian Relations?
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"PUTIN THE TERRIBLE? Vladimir Putin and Russian Democracy"
In this Uncommon Knowledge episode, Peter Robinson interviews Michael McFaul, the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and Steven Fish, associate professor of political science, at the University of California, Berkeley
"Putinism means no bill of rights, no right of free speech, no right of free press, no right to assemble or seek redress of grievances, no right against unlawful search and seizure, no habeas corpus, the essential foundation of any country blessed by a rule of law."
—Arnold Beichman, "The Perils of Putinism."
"The Putin regime is actually quite fragile. It sits at the apex of an unjust social system and tolerates just enough liberty to make it extremely vulnerable to a serious investigation of its apparent crimes. Mr. Putin has systematically eliminated other centers of power. As a result, the bureaucracy rules alone--without interference from society but also without its support."
—David Satter, "Putin's Soul" (subscription may be required).
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Six years have passed since President Bush famously looked into the eyes of Russian president Vladimir Putin and was “able to get a sense of his soul, a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country."
Best Friends Forever?
There’s been no shortage of press coverage regarding the two leaders’ friendship. Yet, despite the apparent rapport between Putin and Bush, recent events, complete with the accompanying inflammatory rhetoric, have accelerated already existing tensions between the United States and Russia. For example, in May 2007, a top Russian official told the Associated Press that “Hitler thought he was above the League of Nations, and the United States thinks it is above the United Nations. Their action is similar.” Such remarks have prompted media speculation as to whether the two world leaders’ high-profile friendship has produced any significant benefits in terms of Russo-American relations.
During the past few years, Putin’s hardfisted political policies, and the apparent unraveling of democratic freedoms in Russia, have been garnering an ever-increasing backlash from those critical of his KGB-era tactics. Clashes with the United States and other nations have only served to further Putin’s reputation as an autocrat and, in the eyes of an increasing number of political watchdogs, a dictatorial thug who willfully crushes those who dare question or oppose his government. In the United States, there is mounting pressure for President Bush to react and respond to Putin’s flagrant—and seemingly unopposed—disdain for international cooperation and adherence to democratic process.
The State of Disunion
The opportunity for a true breakdown in U.S.-Russian relations emerged when Putin, at the July 2007 G-8 summit at Heiligendamm, Germany, vehemently opposed President Bush’s proposal to base ten missile interceptor sites in Poland and radar stations in the Czech Republic. Putin did not accept the White House’s assertion that the sites were necessary to protect Europe from a nuclear-armed Iran. In a retaliatory gesture, Russia suspended its participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and threatened to point its warheads at Europe should the U.S. missile defense plan be implemented.
Shortly after the G-8 summit, the two world leaders met at the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, for the so-called lobster summit, at which they discussed the antimissile proposal and, reportedly, made some headway on exploring possible compromises. Yet, despite the fishing trips and feel-good “front-porch diplomacy,” Putin seems intent on blazing his own course in defiance of Western -style democracy.
Putin only furthered Russia’s maverick identity when he recently announced that the SVR (Russia’s civilian intelligence service) will, due to “growing imbalances” between Russia and other intelligence-gathering countries and “the international situation and internal political interests,” markedly increase its intelligence-gathering operations.
The Bear in the Backyard
Now, with his eight-year tenure as Russian president coming to an end, Putin has announced his intention of continuing to exert his power and influence as prime minister—a position that the enormously popular president will surely all but have handed to him on a silver platter. With Putin still in power, will the United States and Russia find an opportunity to revisit, revive, and repair relations? Or will the United States, already overwhelmed with international crises and an unpopular war, ignore the fearless bear in its backyard and unwittingly help usher in a new era of uncertainly over the future of U.S.-Russian relations? —Michelle Bussenius, Editor
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