May 14, 2007
Rice Trip Highlighting Cracks In U.S.-Russia Relations
Diplomatically speaking, the polarizing war in Iraq has prompted much discussion about who Washington's true friends and enemies are. But then there are the "frenemies" -- those nations that are allies by dint of being among the world's most powerful, but that also seem to actively resent America's status as the world's biggest superpower.
The ambiguity and distrust inherent in frenemy relations can make for huge diplomatic headaches. And migraine-level pain is being felt all across Washington, as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attempts to soften Russia's stance on a planned U.S. missile defense shield in Europe, amid concerns over Moscow's position on the independence of Kosovo, its growing influence over the delivery of Asian gas, and its deteriorating relations with the West.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has seemed downright giddy when jabbing at President Bush on his difficulties in Iraq. Russia, which had economic ties with Saddam Hussein, opposed the war from the start. The long, hard slog that the war became proved a useful shield to Putin, whose autocratic style of governance has come under attack in Washington. Putin publicly embarassed Bush during last summer's G-8 summit, when in response to U.S. concerns about democracy in his country, the Russian leader sneered, "We certainly would not want to have the same kind of democracy that they have in Iraq, quite honestly."
And then, last week, Putin seemed to liken Washington's foreign policy to that of the Third Reich, although diplomats quietly rushed to assure their American counterparts that he was not talking about the United States. The International Herald Tribune placed Putin's remarks in a larger context.
Rice is expected to appeal to Moscow on its opposition to a planned U.S. missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland. Washington wants the shield in place to thwart a possible strike from the Middle East -- Iran, particularly -- against U.S. interests in Europe. The Russians are concerned the shield is actually a nod to them, and will hinder their defense prowess in the region. The Czech Republic and Poland are both on board, and the EU also favors the idea. But House lawmakers are trying to put the brakes on the plan.
Moscow is also at odds with Washington on Kosovo's independence and its natural gas-grab in the region. Russia, a P-5 nation, has strongly hinted it will veto a U.N. resolution on Kosovo's independence from Serbia circulated by the United States and EU nations last week. Russia has not given an explicit reason as to why it would veto the resolution, but it is a longtime economic ally of Serbia. Further, as the Financial Times recently reported, U.N. interference in Serbia-Kosovo relations could set a precedent unfavorable to Russia's interests. Moscow has been accused of fomenting strife in its former republics, and has been roundly criticized for its stranglehold on Chechnya, which like Kosovo is largely Muslim.
Queried by reporters on her trip, Rice said that the U.S. and Russia were not engaged in a second Cold War. "It's a big, complicated relationship, but it's not one that has anything like the implacable hostility which really did lead to zero-sum politics between the United States and the Soviet Union," the former Soviet specialist said.
But the Russians seem to believe that they have the upper hand in this new relationship. They were unmoved by Defense Secretary Robert Gates' attempt to sway them on the shield last month, and there is little to indicate they might budge after this round of talks.
Rice is set to meet with both Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during her two-day visit. Daniel Fried, Rice's deputy in that region, acknowledged last week that Moscow's posture toward Washington has become "more assertive, more challenging," though Rice is on record as holding her own against Lavrov, her testy counterpart.
(State Department File Photo)
Posted at 12:40 PM
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Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Russia
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