Usa Vs Russia
A key challenge for the United States and other democracies is to sustain a clear, positive message in the face of a brutal, aggressive Russian military force. President Biden’s essay in the New York Times this week offers a sound, clear message that should be sustained as nations around the world confront Russia’s assault on not just Ukraine, but global peace, stability and the rule of law.
That clear, positive message should bolster U.S. support among Europeans and others, as well as among African and Asian nations that have hesitated to fully oppose Russia’s attempt to reverse 75 years of U.S. leadership of the international rules-based order and U.S.-fashioned solutions to global problems.
Moreover, it should be sustained in the United States’ domestic political debate over U.S. policy toward Russia, particularly on the nuclear-arms control issue. In particular, Washington and Moscow should continue to pursue a successor to the nuclear arms-control treaty, New START, if that is possible.
Another key question is whether the United States and Russia should seek to negotiate a new set of agreements, confidence-building measures and other mechanisms to address not only strategic nuclear forces but also other nuclear and conventional systems, including nonstrategic nuclear warheads, INF-range weapons, hypersonic boost-glide vehicles and cruise missiles, missile defense systems, cyber and space weapons. The answers to these questions will help shape the strategic relationship in 2030 and beyond.
The world may look different in 2030 than it does today, but the U.S.-Russia relationship will likely remain a complex mix of competition and cooperation for at least the next decade. The balance between the two elements will be shaped by a number of changing global trends and domestic political dynamics.