Is it too late to avert a Cold War?

Source : Voice of Russia

Stephen F. Cohen, professor emeritus of Russian studies at New York University and professor emeritus of politics at Princeton University, has given a breakdown of key problems in US-Russia relations that could eventually bring about a second Cold War.

In his article, the Russia expert draws the attention to an emerging crisis in Washington’s relations with Moscow, which he says have been unfolding Cold War-like ever since the 1990s. And the fault lies with the US, the pundit stresses.

“The recent spate of punitive legislation and abrogated agreements on both sides reflects a larger, and growing, antagonism,” Mr. Cohen writes, pointing to possible repercussions to America, one of which is less support from Russia in such vital areas of US national security as North Korea, China, Afghanistan, the Middle East and anti-terror cooperation.

There are four major components to the US foreign policy that Moscow has been far from happy about. These include the NATO expansion into Eastern Europe; the so-called “selective cooperation,” which is essentially obtaining concessions from Moscow without reciprocity; “democracy promotion” in Russia, which as often as not boils down to interference with Russia’s home affairs; and the general sentiment in the Kremlin that the US just doesn’t care about Russia’s national security.

Stephen Cohen warns the White House that, if not addressed, these concerns may trigger another spat of Cold War. To fix its relationship with Russia, President Obama needs to assure Moscow that NATO will no longer seek to extend membership to the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine.

Another important step is to cooperate with the Kremlin on the US European missile shield and give it at least some guarantees of America’s goodwill. “The program is enormously expensive, plagued by technical problems and needlessly provocative,” the expert stresses, adding: “Meeting the Kremlin partway would defuse today’s most militarized issue and avoid a nuclear arms buildup on both sides.” Another good point would be to stop US funding of Russia’s political non-profits, which he says have been all but productive in promoting democracy in the country.

If these steps are taken, there are good reasons to think President Putin would respond positively to America’s rapprochement. The result could well be the post-Cold War partnership expected more than 20 years ago that got lost along the way, Mr. Cohen concludes.

Voice of Russia, Washington Post