| Resurgent Russia poses rising challenge for U.S? | |
|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2008 01:22 |   |
 | Since the collapse of USSR, the USA has made light of the strength of Russia. At the same time, China experienced a fast growth. The USA has shifted its attention to China. How to handle the rise of China has been the focus of USA foreign policies since the mid-1990s. " China Threat" is a harsh and overstated political term in USA. For years, it seems to USA that China is its only nightmare. Suddenly, American politicians woke up. They noticed that the has-been superpower is resurrecting. Will US politicians coin " Russia Threat" ? Yes, some experts are casting the coin. I came across a piece of writing on USA Today. It is an interesting view about "the relation between Russia and USA". After reading it, tell me what you think. |
| Jan 24, 2008 01:24 | #1 |
| Resurgent Russia poses rising challenge for U.S. Five months after George W. Bush took office, he famously looked into the eyes of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saw his soul and pronounced him trustworthy. At the time, that assessment of the former KGB operative seemed naive. Today, it looks even more so. Putin's provocative actions have become so frequent that they barely generate much attention or protest. Yet these recent news items underscore the challenge a resurgent Russia poses for Bush and his successor: (Photo — Russian troops: Parade on Victory Day in Moscow. / By Mikhail Metzel, AP)  |
| Jan 24, 2008 01:26 | #2 |
| * Russia's Navy has test-fired tactical missiles off the coasts of France and Spain, the kind of action not seen since the Cold War. The clear intent was to show Russia is again a military power. * Former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who wants to run for president, is being subjected to investigations, the latest crackdown on any credible opposition. Meanwhile, Putin's handpicked successor is being promoted around the country and appears headed for overwhelming victory in the election on March 2. * Andrei Lugovoi, a man suspected of poisoning a Putin critic in London, has become a member of the Russian parliament with immunity from prosecution. Another Russian has just landed a senior government post, months after his release from a Swiss jail where he served time for murdering a Swiss air traffic controller. * Putin is offering a bear hug of nationalist solidarity and economic incentives to Serbia. He champions Serbia's claim to Kosovo, countering the U.S. view that the Serb province deserves independence. Russia has also just bought Serbia's national oil monopoly and is extending a gas pipeline there. Putin's aims are no mystery. He wants to revive as much of the old Soviet influence as possible. He's in a much stronger position than in 2001. Unlike then, Russia is flush with oil and gas money, and it has paid off debts to international banks and organizations. Speaking on Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that Russia is guilty of "unwise and irresponsible rhetoric," but that talk about a new Cold War is "hyperbolic nonsense." Maybe so, but the next U.S. president will need to understand the complex challenge Putin has created — and, almost certainly, will have to do business with Putin himself. Though Putin is barred from standing for a third presidential term, he clearly intends to remain Russia's guiding power. Russia can't be ignored. It has influence in arenas vital to U.S. security, including in Iran and across the Middle East. It also has a veto on the United Nations Security Council. The next U.S. president will need to play a chess-like power game with Grandmaster Putin. At the same time, he or she has to continue pushing the idea that the future of Russia is best served by more democracy. The message from the White House, in other words, needs to be less soul-searching and a bigger dose of calculated frankness. |
| Jan 24, 2008 04:19 | #3 |
| And I naively thought that with the tearing down of the Berlin Wall the Devil was dead… Summersnow well said. Dodger |
| Jan 24, 2008 15:09 | #4 |
| Good thing about it today days, is the fact that a bellicose Russia it is a treat to not only to the west, but to the powerful china and many other rising world powers |
| Feb 15, 2008 09:01 | #5 |
| GUEST81508 | why is everyone barking at russia? why is the usa encircling russia? why is nato expanding east close to russia? if you are a real man you gotta see things in a different way.. |
| Feb 15, 2008 09:05 | #6 |
| GUEST81508 | I really don't understand this...Why is the usa putting missiles in poland? don't tell me it's deffensive...The truth is the russians wanted to be a friend to the west but the west took advantage of their temporary weakness. The russians now know who tried to destroy them and act in their own interest. Leave them alone! let them grow for which it's in the best interest of other countries too..it's called Multi-polar world. Welcome baby! |
| Feb 17, 2008 09:25 | #7 |
| Perhaps the US is an excuse for Russia to build up its military power, but I think it wants to anyway. The Soviet Union no longer exists but the country is still being run by much of the old party establishment (but with the Russian mafia alongside). Russia still has superpower intentions. China has superpower intentions. America wants to retain its superpower status. Europe has some economic power but at the moment is still just a best buddy of the USA - it has the potential to be a superpower if only the member nations could stop bickering. In my assessment, China will soon be the number one superpower with the USA in second place, but the latter being replaced by Russia in the not too distant future. Of course, generally the people of these nations do not seek superpower status they are 'peace loving' as my students have so often told me. But coming from an ex superpower nation I know most of us enjoy the status and feeling of security and wellbeing this brings. In any case most leaders seek to increase their power - people who not not want to do not become the leaders! |
Post a Reply to: Resurgent Russia poses rising challenge for U.S?
Copyright © 1998-2024 All rights reserved.