Views on the News | Increase in U.S.-Russian tensions troubling

Steve Keller Columnist

If you read the news coming out of Washington and Moscow recently, you might think that we’ve gone back to the days of the Cold War. And with U.S. foreign policy so focused on spreading democracy throughout the world, a deterioration in relations between the U.S. and Russia would be dangerous to American diplomatic interests.

There is no denying that Russia is on a slide toward authoritarianism—and that the U.S. is concerned. From the murder of Kremlin critics to the increased power President Vladimir Putin is exercising over the government and the people, it appears that Russia is returning to its totalitarian past. Outspoken journalist Anna Politkovskaya and KGB spy-turned-critic Alexander Litvinenko were both mysteriously killed, and all signs point to the Putin administration as the culprit. The Russian war on terror—the battle against Chechen separatists—has also resulted in many human rights violations against the Chechen people. Also in response to the Chechen war, Putin has expanded presidential power to include the right to appoint regional governors himself, bypassing local authority.

To top it all off, Putin, whose presidency is ending later this year, has devised a scheme in which he can still run the country after election day. Putin’s plan: Put himself at the head of his party’s list; if his party wins the majority of seats in Parliament, he will become the prime minister. Through the use of a figurehead president, Putin will still be able to exercise control over
Russia.

The United States has criticized Putin’s power grabs, and for the last few years, barbs have been flying back and forth between the two countries about these issues. But what is most worrisome is that the tension regarding Russia’s slip into tyranny has been compounded by disagreements over international affairs.

Squabbles between the United States and the Russian Federation over missile defense systems in Europe threaten to explode into a serious conflict. In response to President Bush’s plan to put missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic, Russia threatened to aim weapons at this region.

Russia’s continued support of Iran also impedes the United States’ objectives in the volatile Middle East. The Russian government has supplied arms to Iran and is blocking any substantial U.N. action against the country. As the United States seems to be preparing for war against Iran, the Iranian goverment moves closer and closer to becoming an ally of Russia. Additionally, the Kremlin has been critical of U.S. policy in Iraq from the start and fervently opposing the initial invasion, partially because of the economic ties between Russia and Saddam Hussein. Since then it has opposed the interventionist nature of American foreign policy.

Russia is on a dangerous course both in the international arena and within its own borders. Should the situation between the U.S. and Moscow deteriorate further, the balance of world power could shift out of America’s favor. Also, an anti-democratic Russia could not be a strategic partner for the United States because of the impact it would have on American aims to promote democracy around the world. A return to tyranny in Russia through Puti-style oligarchy would also cause an inevitable distrust between the two powers, merely because of the tense history they share.

The answer lies not in making Russia an enemy. With war in Iran a ticking time bomb, North Korea remaining a nuclear threat and with China looming powerfully over East Asia, the last thing we need is for Russia to return to being an adversary of the United States. And while it is the responsibility of free nations to assist others on the road to democracy, countries with the strength of Russia are too big to intimidate into changing their governments.

The best thing America can do is work together with Russia to achieve common goals against common enemies. If we antagonize Russia, it is likely it will slip further into authoritarianism. Like the United States, Russia is suffering from its own illegal immigration crisis, that of the Chinese in Siberia, who now make up over eight percent of the inhabitants of the Russian Far East. Thus, both the United States and Russia have an interest in curbing China’s power in the world.

Perhaps the best area in which Russia and America can find similar diplomatic interests is in the stability of the Middle East. Both Russia and the United States are faced with threats from Islamic terrorism. Should the Middle East fall into chaos, Russia could find its Caucasus territories destabilized and the Muslims in its interior ready for a fight. There is no reason that the United States and Russian governments need to clash on these issues.

The United States must cut down its rhetoric and work with Russia on a missile defense system that is acceptable to both parties. Opening diplomatic talks with Russia about its domestic abuses of power is also important. The worst thing to do at this juncture would be to create another Cold War, especially one in which the stability of the world would once again be at stake.

Steve Keller ’11 is writing a column this semester expressing his views on national and international current events.