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When entering the White House in 2009, President Barack Obama sought to “reset” relations with Russia. The Bush administration had tense relations with Russia, cancelling the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty during its first term, waging the war in Iraq over Russian objections, and establishing missile defense stations in Poland and the Czech Republic. The Obama administration decided to scrap the missile defense stations in Eastern Europe, signed a controversial nuclear reduction accord, and helped Russia become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). However, despite increasing America’s engagement with Russia, the Obama administration has recently been frustrated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who reassumed power in 2012. Russia has supported the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, has hedged its bets on Iran’s nuclear program, and violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity by seizing Crimea. Putin’s recent actions have given credence to domestic conservatives claims that the Obama administration is weak on national security and they make Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s claims about Russia being America’s “number one geopolitical foe” prescient.
U.S.-Russian relations have been tortured since the twentieth century and questions about U.S.-Russian relations are bound to come up more regularly in light of recent events. This topic brief will provide a brief historical overview of U.S.-Russian relations, break down the foreign policy goals and mindsets of President Obama and Vladimir Putin, and then assess whether a new Cold War is breaking out and how this could affect the relationship between both countries and American politics.
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