The Commission on U.S. Policy Toward Russia Releases New Report on U.S./Russia Relations
Yesterday, ASP Board member and former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel and ASP Chairman and former U.S. Senator Gary Hart held a press conference to release a report by the The Commission on U.S. Policy Toward Russia detailing challenges and issues recommendations for relations between the U.S. and Russia. The Commission was established by the Belfer Center at Harvard Kennedy School and the Nixon Center in Washington. Belfer Center Director Graham Allison met last week in Moscow with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Principal findings include:
· In recent years, U.S.-Russian relations have deteriorated to their worst point since the end of the Cold War.
· An American commitment to improving U.S.-Russian relations is neither a reward to be offered for good international behavior by Moscow nor an endorsement of the Russian government’s domestic conduct.
· It is an acknowledgement of the importance of Russian cooperation in achieving essential American goals: from preventing Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, dismantling al Qaeda and stabilizing Afghanistan, to guaranteeing security and prosperity in Europe.
Principal recommendations included:
· Seeking to make Russia an American partner in dealing with Iran.
· Working jointly to strengthen the international nonproliferation regime.
· Taking a new look at missile defense deployments in Poland and the Czech Republic and making a genuine effort to develop a cooperative approach to the shared threat from Iranian missiles.
· Accepting that neither Ukraine nor Georgia is ready for NATO membership and working closely with U.S. allies to develop options other than NATO membership to demonstrate a commitment to their sovereignty.
· Launching a serious dialogue on arms control, including extending the START I Treaty as well as further reduction of strategic and tactical nuclear weapons.
Read the Commission’s report here.
