Usa Vs Russia

A new Pew Research Center survey shows that 64% of Americans view Russia as an enemy, the highest level since the Center began asking about this question in 2008. Moderate and liberal Republicans are more likely than conservatives to say that the country is a threat.

The US-Russia relationship has been shaped by Putin’s efforts to assert control over Ukraine and destabilize the international system. The United States and its allies must send a clear message that supporting Ukraine’s self-defense is not only the right thing to do, but also in America’s vital interests.

Many foreign policy experts might disdain the loaded term Cold War in relation to these showdowns with Moscow or Beijing, but it has been an apt description of the global ideological, economic and political tussle between the capitalist USA and the supposedly communist Soviet Union from the late 1940s to the end of the 1980s.

Putin’s military incursions in Ukraine and Syria have shown that he is capable of challenging the USA militarily, although US officials have not explicitly spelled out what a military response to his aggression would look like. They have assured Russia of dire consequences for missteps, but they have not communicated what specific measures might be taken. The challenge for NATO nations will be to work out at what point a military response is appropriate, and to maintain solidarity even when sanctions sting and the blowback from Russia’s economy is felt at home.