U.S.-RUSSIA DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS
Huanglongling Student number: S06126
Research Paper Supervisor: Dr. Sekou Conde
Minzhu University of China
2006-2007 Academic Year
From the history of last decades in 20th century, this paper described the three different stages of U.S.-Russia diplomatic relations firstly. Then the author tried to analyze the concrete reasons for U.S.-Russia relations from her own point of view.And then the author pointed the cooperation between the U.S. and Russia in the future, political, diplomatic and other sides. In the end, conclusions were given.
Now, we are living in a brand new era. The world is developing endlessly, and international relations are becoming more and more complex. That is, we couldn’t guess what will happen in next second. Today, we talk about the relations between U.S. and Russia, which is the most typical one among today’s international relations.Everyone knows the cold war, which was dangerous and threatening, with huge nuclear arsenals on each side. The US and the Soviet Union hold each other, and the world was pretty much divided into two alliances ,which wascontrolled by two superpowers respectively. That is NATO(North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and Communist alliance. But it actually did make for a simpler world than the one we live in today.
After the disaggregation of the Soviet Union, the worldwide relationship structure had a great change. This means the end of the cold war and the time in which the United States and Russia saw each other as an enemy or strategic threat has passed. Except for opposite for each other, there are cooperation sometimes. A general conclusion can be obtained from different different stages.
Stage 1: the “honeymoon” of U.S.-Russia relations.
In 1991, when the Soviet Union broke down and the new Russia established, its integrated nation power has weakened steeply. Russia learned from western countries in either politics or economic. On the diplomatic policies side, they wanted to join “western democracy” leading by America, actively. For a time, it faded into the outer edges of American concerns and become no competition and threat to the U.S. Therefore, the U.S.-Russia relations warmed up quickly and two country leaders met frequently. In 1992, Russian President Boris Yeltsin visited the United States and met U.S. president G. H. W. Bush in Washington and signed a great deal of treaty packages, such as Charter for American-Russian Partnership and Friendship, Investment Incentives and Protection Treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation, and so on. But as we known, a real partnership wasn’t built between the two super-countries in former days. The United States government still took Russia as a potential counterworker. So it not only didn’t help Russia out, but also refined and weakened the Russia’s development, neither in economic nor in military. As a result, the Russia had no more illusions about the help from U.S. They started to maintain their own national domain independently and had “double side” foreign relations.
Stage 2: more contradictions than cooperation between U.S. and Russia.
Since 1993, Russia had abandoned the U.S. on its own initiative, however, there were no obvious evidences . The Russia began to put independent, all-sides diplomacy policy into practice basing on the situation of its country. The U.S. continued to consider Russia as potential enemy and threat, and nibbled Russia’s strategy space. The U.S. promoted NATO’s extension to east, so the Russia’s tragic frontline retreated 700-1000km.[1] And Russia confronted the threat of humanitarianism intervention of western countries. The U.S. started Kolsova’s war, which made Russia almost lose control of South Europe after World War II. The U.S.-Russia relation at that time was highly tense, it seemed that the third world war were on the verge of breaking out. Actually, it’s “cold peace” period.
Stage 3: in the late winter of 1999, V. Putin was elected as Russia president.
He had innovated the U.S.-Russia relation policy. The new relationship embarked upon the path of new relations for the 21st century, and committed to developing a relationship based on friendship, cooperation, common values, trust, openness and predictability. The United Stated and the Russia come to a point on worldwide situation and would like to rebuild a qualitatively new foundation for their relationship to counter new global challenges and threats. Obviously, the 9.11 incidents and the convulsions in North Caucasia played an important role on the point of countering terrorism. Although they have the same points on countering terrorism, worldwide nuclear security and Russia’s entering into WTO, their contradictions concerning tragic benefits has never changed.
I’m not a saint, and I couldn’t tell the U.S.-Russia relation right or wrong. Maybe this conclusion can be obtained in hundreds of years. Whatever, I am just a college student, and the viewpoints in this paper are just from my private thoughts.
As a proverb says, “all things have cause and effect”. In my opinions, there must be some contradictions that result into today’s U.S.-Russia situation, which are stated as follows:
Firstly, the counterwork between the U.S. and the Russia in middle Asia and outer Caucasia is becoming serious. Since the U.S. started the war in Afghan, the United State actively invade these areas mentioned above, in politics, economics and in military aspects. Well these regions are controlled by the Russia before. And this pricks up the U.S.-Russia contradictions sharply. Take some cases as examples. In politics, the U.S. intervene the Ukraine President Election and help America-like government prevail. They launched so-called “color revolutions” in those small countries once belonging to the Soviet Union, so as to cut down the Russia’s effects in these countries and isolated Russia.[2] In military, the U.S. actively sold or donated advanced weapons to some Middle Asian countries. At the same time, they organized united war game and sent military experts to help the local improve military power. In economic, the U.S. actively snatched up the Caspian large oil and gas resources, trying to break the Russia’s monopoly on the Caspian raw oil. Facing to the U.S. challenges, the Russia responded firmly. On one hand, make full use of its traditional effects in Middle Asia and improve all-sides cooperation mechanism. That is promoting individual country security as the whole organization’s security. And the Russia built military bases in corresponding countries. On the other hand, strengthen economical cooperation with these sensitive regions and provide them oil, gas sources at a very low cost. The Russia also wants to seize these countries so that it won’t be isolated by the U.S.
Secondly, the U.S paced up distribution of garrison in Europe and NATO’s extension towards east, which lead to Russia’s worry and rejection. After 2003, to pursue its global strategy advantage, the U.S. made the largest regulation of its oversea military distribution. That is, divert garrison in Germany into the Middle, East European countries, such as Poland, Romania, etc. adding NATO’s extension towards east, the Russia’s tragic space was squeezed fast. Although the U.S. announced the above actions weren’t aiming at the Russia specially, the Russia staged its largest scale nuclear rehearse among 20 years before 2004.[3] Its purpose was obviously showing its military power and urging American considering Russia’s personal interests.
Thirdly, the U.S. was critical of Russia’s politics and thought it as democracy degradation. The U.S. government stressed how important it is to realize democracy for the U.S.-Russia relation. Especially, after Putin was president of Russia, his political and economical policies for home and broad shocked the U.S. government. Some American scholars and councilors even blazon forth that Capitalism prevailed in Russia, however democracy failed. The U.S. government criticized the president election in 2004 lack of openness and full of dictatorship. In its 2004 annual human rights report, the U.S. government condemned Russia was a directionless country, while the Russia government complained the Bush government intervention into Russia’s domain, ignoring its domestic democracy, human rights and freedom.
In fact, although there are kinds of disharmonies between U.S. and Russia, both countries should face the reality of world diversity. In the new era, under the circumstance of international strategy pattern variety, these two superpowers should treat and deal with each other more reasonably and more practically. Both countries need to strengthen mutual dialogues and cooperation to dispose interest conflicts.
Reconsidering the history of the whole world, there is still a stable foundation for U.S.-Russia relationship.
Mutual Respect: Now every country faces the same problems, perhaps, the global challenges and threads. To fix them, the U.S. and the Russia should work together, with other nations and with international organizations, to respond to these new challenges and threats, and thus contribute to a peaceful and free world. They both should achieve a new strategic relationship. Be aware, the cold war is over. To advance those objectives above, the U.S. and Russia should continue an intensive dialogue on pressing international and regional problems, both on a bilateral basis and in international forum, including in the UN Security Council and other meetings. Whenever both countries have differences, they should work to resolve them in a spirit of mutual respect.
Yes, it’s right. Mutual respect means they both should respect the essential values of democracy, human rights, free speech [...]
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