#11
Moscow Times
October 19, 2001
Landmark in U.S.-Russian Relations?
By Pavel Podlesny
Pavel Podlesny heads foreign policy research at the USA and Canada Institute. He
contributed this comment to The Moscow Times.
This weekend, at the informal summit of APEC member states in Shanghai, the
third meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush will take
place. The meeting will occur in the context of much improved U.S.-Russian
relations, particularly in the political sphere. Russia's support for the
U.S.-led anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan has provided a powerful boost
for relations between the two countries.
Washington appreciates the important role that Russia has to play in the
fight against international terrorism (and primarily the Taliban), taking into
consideration its geostrategic position, its good relations with many Islamic
states and Russia's influence over the Central Asian states. Russia has come to
be seen as a generous partner. Moreover, some members of the U.S. administration
are saying that the joint fight against terrorism will lead to a reorganization
of the whole system of U.S.-Russian relations, and may give rise to an
opportunity for building a new strategic relationship between our countries.
The meeting in Shanghai should not only provide a chance to cement the
positive changes of the past five weeks, but also for more substantive
discussion of approaches to the major issues in U.S.-Russian relations. Apart
from the fight against terrorism, the main issues are international security,
nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the regulation of regional
conflicts, particularly in the Middle East.
Cooperation is crucial, especially in light of the fact that acts of
terrorism are likely to continue, including the use of biological weapons. Each
new terrorist act inevitably strengthens the threat of a clash along
civilizational lines.
On the agenda remain the issues of strategic stability, the creation of the
national missile defense system and cutting strategic weapons stocks. It seems
that the tragic events of Sept. 11 have elicited an ambiguous reaction from
Washington politicians regarding the development of the NMD system.
Those opposed believe it is better to focus on the problems of nuclear
security by reducing nuclear weapons arsenals, etc.
However, NMD supporters — as the U.S. national security adviser Condoleeza
Rice underlined recently — see the terrorist acts as further confirmation of
the need to develop the NMD system, and it is in this context that Bush intends
to discuss the issue with Putin.
The issue of Russia's integration into European and international
organizations deserves the most serious of discussion, in particular the
possibility of Russian accession to NATO. This is an extremely important and
sensitive issue for European and international security and should not be the
subject of political conjecture.
If events show that the West and Russia are not yet ready to take such a
decision then eveything should be done to ensure maximum cooperation between
Russia and NATO within the existing institutional framework. Of course, if NATO
were to delay the second round of NATO expansion or were to limit it, say, to
the admission of Slovenia (which in no way affects Russia's security interests),
that would create a much more favorable political climate for cooperation.
Expanding economic ties with the United States is also of importance. Russia,
however, clearly needs to accelerate formation of the relevant political and
legal underpinnings for facilitating foreign investment into Russia.
In Washington, right-wing politicians are already warning Bush and his team
not to make any concessions to Russia. However, compromises and unilateral
gestures of good will are part and parcel of international practice, and without
them, qualitively better partner relations between Russia and the United States
will be impossible.
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