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Program Brief, vol. 7, #20
© The Nixon Center 2001

"The U.S.-Russian Summit"
A Nixon Center Briefing

Russian and American speakers each expressed cautious optimism about the likely outcomes of November’s U.S.-Russian summit and the further development of relations between Washington and Moscow. Former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger, now Chairman of The Nixon Center’s Advisory Council, moderated the briefing, which was televised live on C-SPAN. Center President Dimitri K. Simes and Alexei Pushkov, Anchor of the Russia’s television news analysis program "Post Scriptum," also spoke and responded to questions.

September 11 and the U.S.-Russian Relationship

James Schlesinger noted in his opening remarks that the meetings between Presidents Bush and Putin in Washington, DC and Crawford, Texas would be "a different kind of summit" in the wake of the tragic events of September 11. Both the U.S.-Russian relationship and the international environment have changed substantially in the two months since the terrorist attacks, he added.

In that context, Dimitri Simes pointed out the sharp contrasts between Russia’s strong negative reaction to the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999 and its important support of the present U.S. attacks on Afghanistan’s Taliban regime.

Alexei Pushkov argued that the U.S.-Russian relationship has always been stronger when the two nations have confronted a common enemy. However, he continued, the relationship might be tested once the Taliban are defeated. Pushkov noted that Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Josef Stalin had worked together effectively to defeat Nazi Germany, but could not maintain a cooperative relationship after the end of World War Two. [Responding to this point, Schlesinger noted that Czechoslovakia and Poland declined post-war U.S. offers of Marshall Plan reconstruction assistance to as a result of Soviet pressure.]

Simes suggested, however, that Vladimir Putin’s prompt and important support for the U.S. war on terrorism reflected a strategic decision by the Russian President that the Kremlin would no longer allow the differences between our two countries to define their bilateral relationship. Such a decision not only paves the way for greater cooperation in areas of mutual interest, but also—perhaps paradoxically—eases discussions of difficult issues by de-linking them from the overall development of ties between Moscow and Washington.

Foundations of a New Relationship

Simes argued that this decision was made possible in part by the fact that both the United States and Russia had experienced recent changes in leadership. As a result, he said, both countries have reevaluated their priorities as well as their approaches to one another. In Simes’ view, the Bush Administration has made a deliberate decision to cease the previous administration’s practice of lecturing Russia on its internal affairs, which served primarily to embarrass Moscow without encouraging real change. Moreover, he said, while the U.S. should support the further development of democracy in Russia, American officials must recognize that Russia is not likely to become a fully-fledged Jeffersonian democracy any time soon.

Pushkov noted that the Kremlin has also revised its approach. He stated that President Putin’s pragmatic foreign policy has abandoned the superpower pretense of the Yeltsin era in favor of a more realistic assessment of Russia’s capabilities and role. Nevertheless, Pushkov urged his American audience to understand that while Russia no longer seeks the status of a global power, it must be acknowledged as a preeminent power in Eurasia. Because so many crucial issues of the 21^st century—such as terrorism, proliferation, and China’s integration into the international system—must be addressed in Eurasia, he continued, cooperation with Russia is of considerable importance to the United States.

In this context, Pushkov expressed concern that many in the U.S. and Russia have not yet adjusted psychologically to the end of the Cold War. Mutual suspicions remain, he said, and an "intellectual revolution" will be necessary for the U.S.-Russian relationship to reach its full potential." Pushkov also expressed concern that Washington might not yet be willing to adjust its own policies in areas where important Russian interests are at stake. Citing 19^th century German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck’s dictum that "every alliance has a rider and a horse" Pushkov argued that the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Russia will not succeed if America is always the rider. Simes made the subtly different point that constructive ties between the two countries may be unsustainable if President Putin cannot demonstrate tangible benefits from cooperation with the United States to the Russian people.

Key Issues: Missile Defense, the ABM Treaty, and NATO Enlargement

Simes said that the summit is "bound to be a success" because of both countries’ commitment to partnership and expected that differences on missile defense and NATO would not define the relationship. He noted that while Russia has concerns about NATO enlargement, the Kremlin has not launched a major campaign against it, as was done by Yeltsin in the mid-1990s. Similarly, Simes suggested, narrowing—but still important—differences on missile defense would not interfere with intensifying cooperation in other areas.

This Program Brief was prepared by Nixon Center Intern Jessica Thibodeau and Center Director Paul Saunders.