Civil unrest is gaining momentum in many countries of the Middle East and North Africa, and there are no signs of it abating any time soon, analysts say. A wave of popular uprisings has swept across the Middle East and North Africa, leading to the overthrow of deeply entrenched autocratic regimes in Egypt and Tunisia. Large anti-government protests were seen in Algiers, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco and Oman, and demonstrators continue to take to the streets in Yemen. International forces have now intervened in Libya.
U.S.-Russian relations should be viewed in a broader context than the bilateral relationship, Russian experts say. Experts were invited by RIA Novosti to present a new report on U.S.-Russian relations entitled, “The U.S.-Russian relations after the ‘reset’: Building a new agenda. A view from Russia” The report was prepared by a group of Russian experts from the Valdai Discussion Club.
Participants in an international conference in Malta, like a panel of doctors in consultation, determined why the prescribed medications have not worked and searched for new treatments for the patient – the peace process in the Middle East, which has not achieved a resolution of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.
In recent months, the Obama administration, as part of its policy to “reset” U.S. relations with Russia, has offered to integrate the Kremlin into both the American and NATO ballistic missile defense systems. Last month, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Ellen Tauscher said the administration is “eager to begin a joint analysis, joint exercises, and sharing of early warning data that could form the basis for a cooperative missile defense system.”
Even as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev increasingly disagree publicly ahead of the 2012 election, the long-time finance minister championed by investors has begun to attack the unified political system that keeps them both in power.
As the political differences between Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev widen into a visible public rift, and each continues to insist on the wish to run for president in polls next year, some Russians are mulling a prospect that sounded like a fantasy just a few weeks ago: What if they faced off against each other in an open and fair election?
China recently introduced, for the export market, the M20 ballistic missile. What is worrisome to Russia is that the M20 looks very similar to the Russian Iskander (9K720) system. Increasingly, Russia has accused China of stealing a great deal of Russian military technology, and warned of repercussions if China tried to sell these copies to the export market.
If Medvedev cannot garner support amongst Russian elites for his gentler approach to dealing with the West, it becomes more likely that Prime Minister Putin will reap the domestic rewards of perceived Western intransigence. In these circumstances, it pays to look more closely at Russia’s strategic negotiating position today and what it derives from.
