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U.S.-Russia Relations   Term Paper ID:27593 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Review of current trends & developments in relations between Russia & the United States.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Review of current trends & developments in relations between Russia & the United States. Paper Introduction: Introduction The future of U.S.-Russian relations is uncertain. Much depends on the outcome of the presidential situation in Russia, where recently re-elected Boris Yeltsin has been suffering from an ongoing series of health problems which triggered a series of inner circle moves as possible successors jockey for position in the inevitable successor sweepstakes. Yeltsin, who trailed the pack of presidential candidates during most of the election campaign, may be succeeded from within his coalition by someone such as former General Lebed. Other possibilities include former candidates from the recent campaign. The most popular candidate is Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the unreformed Communist Party. Another dangerous contender is Vladimir Zhirinovsky, an anti-American ultra-nationalist. Victory for either Zyuganov or Zhirinovsky Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Russia agreed to cooperate with NATO in a peacekeeping mission inBosnia. The reactors are a vitalcomponent of the Iranian bid to acquire "Islamic" nuclear weapons (Starr,1996). "A Plan for Europe," Foreign Affairs,January/February 1995. President Yeltsin's own prospects look grim. His health is failing,and Russia's internal economic and political crisis continues unabated.The war in the breakaway republic of Chechnya and Russia's economicdifficulties have eroded the popularity of Yeltsin's administration to thepoint where polls show approval ratings at around 1 percent to 15 percent. Russia joined the Partnership for Peace (PFP), an intermediate stepfor countries wishing to join NATO, in the spring of 1995. short-range missiledefenses. "Dealing With a Russia in Turmoil," ForeignAffairs, May/June 1996. Nevertheless, the sale goes on, primarily because of pressurefrom the powerful Russian Ministry of Atomic Industry (MinAtom) headed byVictor Mikhailov (Matlock, 1996). Anti-Western sentiments are growing in Russia. Russia has over 2, peacekeepers in Bosnia. On September 21, 1993, Boris Yeltsin disbanded the Soviet-era Russianparliament. The coup leaders were put on trialand jailed but were released in 1993 (White, et al, 1994). White, Stephen (1993). Trafficking in radioactive materials and chemicalweapons by corrupt Russian officials is well documented. Objections have been raised based onAmerica's presumed intention to build a missile defense, but the realreason for the Russian intransigence lies elsewhere: The Russian militaryestablishment wants to keep large, land-based multiple-warhead missiles,such as the SS-18, SS-19, and especially the mobile SS-24 (Starr, 1996). agreed in 1995 to allowRussia to exceed the limits imposed by the CFE on weapons stationed on itsnorthern and southern flanks. Russian organized crime in the U.S. support for President Yeltsin (Zelikow, 1994).Critics charge that the Clinton Administration's continued unquestioningsupport for Boris Yeltsin makes less and less sense. U.S. Judis, John B (1995). The Soviet Union dissolved on December 25, 1991. Russia today claims to be the heir to the now-defunct Soviet Union,and is demanding that the U.S. Russia has signed agreements to supply at least two nuclear powerreactors to the militant Islamic regime in Iran, which is implementing anuclear weapons program. Many Russian and Eurasiancriminal organizations operate internationally, including in the UnitedStates and Western Europe. Much of the $4.1 billion in U.S.assistance allocated to date has been wasted. The Clinton Administration also has failed to prevent the sale ofnuclear reactors to Iran, despite America's share in the massive financialaid provided to Moscow by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank,and other multilateral financial institutions. Lowenthal, John (1995). Kuntsevich subsequentlywas fired and currently is under investigation (Matlock, 1996). For example, without Ukraine,the Russian empire cannot be recreated and will have only limited access tothe heart of Europe. Cambridge University Press:Cambridge. and Robert Blackwill (1991). Russia and other New Independent States (NIS) have become leadingexporters of crime, together with Colombia, Southeast Asia, Afghanistan,Iran, and others. Duke University Press: Durham, NC. The most popular candidate is GennadyZyuganov, leader of the unreformed Communist Party. Senate ratified the treaty on January 26,1996) but in Moscow, where a majority of deputies in the newly elected Dumaprobably will refuse to ratify it. The weakest part of Clinton's arms control record concerns the ABMTreaty. Azerbaijan controls vital oil and gas reserves, whileGeorgia is situated in a strategically crucial location in the Caucasus.Nevertheless, the Clinton Administration has neglected these countries,promoting a "Russia-first" policy and recognizing Moscow's domination ofthe "near abroad" (Matlock, 1996). and the Westis over. Developments inRussian and Post-Soviet Politics. Theseare often referred to as the Newly Independent States (NIS) (White, 1993). Republican Members of Congress, who includedNATO expansion in their Contract With America, generally are moresupportive of a rapid expansion of NATO than the Clinton Administration(Matlock, 1996). The Clinton Administration championed the START II nuclear armsreduction treaty with Russia. Frederick (1996). A communist or extremenationalist at the helm could well put the world's second-largest nuclearpower on a collision course with the United States in Central Europe or theMiddle East. It is buying two Russian-made nuclear reactors capable of producingplutonium that can be enriched to become weapons-grade raw material foratomic bombs. Critics charge also that the President is appeasing Yeltsin on missiledefense and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which bans the deployment ofa missile defense system from the U.S. General Anatoly Kuntsevich, head of the Russian presidentialChemical Weapons Department, illegally sold over 1,6 pounds of chemicalweapons components to a Middle Eastern country. with his unequivocal support of the Russianpresident, especially after the dramatic shooting at the parliamentbuilding in October 1993 and the beginning of the Chechen war. (1996). The war has cost Russia over $6billion. negotiators reportedly have accepted a Russian demand tolimit the performance of the most promising U.S. "Making Eurasia Stable," Foreign Affairs,January/February 1996. Yeltsin was concerned about the possible breakup of Russia, aswell as the possible loss of access to the valuable oil in the Caucasusregion (Starr, 1996). In exchange, the Clinton Administration allegedly promised not toexpand NATO any time soon, acquiesced to an increase in the number ofconventional weapons in place on Russia's northern and southern flanks inviolation of the CFE treaty, and agreed to Russian freedom of action in theformer Soviet area. Aidto Russia has attracted bipartisan support, but this may be weakening asRussia becomes more anti-Western and expansionist. The strategic airlift capabilities of the former Soviet army areoften used for illicit transactions in drugs and stolen cars (Matlock,1996). AID has itsexpertise in the developing world, not in post-communist transitionaleconomies (Matlock, 1996). Thenew parliament, named the State Duma, was elected on December 12, 1993(Lowenthal, 1995). TheConventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty places limits on the numbers ofconventional weapons (such as tanks and cannon) in Europe and Russia. However, it hasdone very little to make this happen. U.S. It wassigned with the U.S.S.R. He has lost the support of theRussian reformers and is pursuing an increasingly confrontational foreignpolicy. In fact, Russia is in the midst of apolitical turbulence fraught with dangers for the West, and the chances aregood that the next American President will have to deal with a new and verydifferent set of players in Moscow. "America's Stake inthe Soviet Future," Foreign Affairs, Summer 1991. Another dangerouscontender is Vladimir Zhirinovsky, an anti-American ultra-nationalist.Victory for either Zyuganov or Zhirinovsky would seriously endangerRussia's young democracy and market reforms. Since 1992, Russia has received over $4 billion in direct U.S. Beefing up the numbers of tanks and cannons on the borders ofRussia's neighbors, be it the Baltic States or nations in the Caucasus,raises questions about Moscow's long-term intentions. Critics of the Clinton Administration also claim that the U.S. A large portion of these illegal proceeds is invested in Western andoffshore banks and in real estate in California, Florida, and otherlocations. aid,over $2 billion in total Western aid, and over $5 billion in loans fromthe G-7 countries and multilateral financial organizations such as theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. in 199 , and the U.S. Despite all of this evidence, the ClintonAdministration has continued to hail the success of economic reforms inRussia, failing to raise the crime and corruption issue in bilateral talkswith the Yeltsin administration (Matlock, 1996). Yet, critics allege, the ClintonAdministration has given the Russians a free ride in the "near abroad"(Brzezynski, 1995). The Russian military wants tokeep many more tanks, cannon, and other heavy systems than was originallyagreed. in 199 after more than twodecades of negotiations. netted over $1, , in medicalinsurance fraud and hundreds of millions in gasoline tax fraud from 1992-1995. The Russians are capitalizing on the Clinton Administration's desireto "strengthen" the flawed 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty and areseeking to include greater restraints on short-range or theater missiledefenses (Brzezynski, 1995).The Clinton Record President Clinton has made relations with Boris Yeltsin too personal.As Yeltsin's popularity plummeted, Clinton fed the flames of Russianresentment toward the U.S. The Clinton Administration also has been too slow to recognize theimportance of countries other than Russia. Moscow is awash in rumors of coups and falsified presidential elections(Matlock, 1996). TheAdministration not only wants to abide by the treaty, it wants to expandits scope. Russian organized criminals and corruptofficials have access to weapons and technology of mass destruction,including uranium, chemical and biological weapons, and the raw materialsand components for their manufacture, as well as scientists with specificweapons-related expertise. TheClinton policy has endangered the ability of the U.S. Moreover, ananti-Western policy could lead Russia to forge alliances with anti-Westernforces in Iran, Iraq, China, and Libya. Much depends onthe outcome of the presidential situation in Russia, where recently re-elected Boris Yeltsin has been suffering from an ongoing series of healthproblems which triggered a series of inner circle moves as possiblesuccessors jockey for position in the inevitable successor sweepstakes.Yeltsin, who trailed the pack of presidential candidates during most of theelection campaign, may be succeeded from within his coalition by someonesuch as former General Lebed. He has had twoheart attacks in four months, his behavior is sometimes erratic, andintelligence services report that he has a serious drinking problem. The Bush and ClintonAdministrations have provided over $4 billion in aid to Russia since 1992.Combined aid monies and loans to the former Soviet Union and Russia for1985-1995 amounted to over $1 billion. Other possibilities include formercandidates from the recent campaign. President Clinton's critics believe that preventing the emergence of aRussian empire in the lands of the former Soviet Union should be a topWestern priority, both to help assure the development and survival ofRussian democracy and to safeguard vital Western interests. However, todaythere is little likelihood that Russian will join NATO any time soon.Russia's reaction to the prospect of NATO's eastward expansion has beenshrill and hostile. Critics accuse the Administration ofpromising not to expand NATO in 1996 in exchange for Russia's cooperationon peacekeeping in Bosnia. The coup was defeated by the Russian peopleand Boris Yeltsin, who at the time was President of the Russian Federation,then a republic of the Soviet Union. And President Clinton vetoed the FY 1996 defense authorizationbill because of its missile defense provisions (Starr, 1996). Moscow is attemptingto re-establish its influence in neighboring regions that once were part ofthe Soviet Union. The results of these aid programshave been mixed; critics argue that U.S. to maintain arelationship with segments of Russian society that oppose President Yeltsin(Starr, 1996). Law and order in Russia have collapsed, organized crimeis merging with legal government structures, and it is difficult to saywhere the mafiosi end and the government begins. The Reincarnation of Russia: Struggling withthe Legacy of Communism, 199 -1994. The Russian mob is successfully building ties to the Chinese"triad" gangs, Japan's Yakuza, the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, and Central AsianMafiosi. After a week-longstandoff, Yeltsin ordered the Russian military to fire on the parliamentbuilding, called the " White House;" at least 13 people were killed. This buildup also jeopardizes the oil resources of the Caspian Seaand the independence of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The recalcitrant Supreme Soviet of Russia had become the siteof intense opposition to Yeltsin and his market reforms. The Clinton Administration paid lip service to the idea of enlargingNATO to include Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Matlock, Jack F. The Conventional Forces in Europe(CFE) treaty places limits on the numbers of conventional weapons, such astanks and cannons, permitted in the European theaters of operation. Zelikow, Philip (1994). Walker, Martin (1996). Introduction The future of U.S.-Russian relations is uncertain. Moscow claimsthat it needs more heavy weapons to protect its borders, despite the factthat none of her neighbors is capable of waging war on Russia (Matlock,1996). This is especially worrisome becauseof all the rhetoric in Moscow about restoring the Soviet Union. No one knows for certain who will rule in Moscow by the end of thedecade, but the period of romantic partnership with the U.S. The Clinton Administration's record in conventional arms control withthe Russians has not been much better. The main obstacles to START II ratificationare not in Washington (the U.S. Brzyzenski, Zbigniew (1995). The Bush and ClintonAdministrations erred in choosing the U.S. abide by the 1972 ABM treaty. After Gorbachev. Germany alone hasmade over 1 arrests related to nuclear material components exported fromthe NIS. "Beyond Boris Yeltsin," Foreign Affairs,January/February 1994. is now perceived by many in the Russian political elite aspartisan and uncritically supportive of Yeltsin's faltering policies. The Clinton Administration opposesballistic missile defense (BMD) and wants to expand the scope of the ABMTreaty to limit even shorter range (tactical) missiles something which itwas not originally intended to do (Zelikow, 1994). Another point of contention concerns conventional arms control. The Kremlin is employing economic, diplomatic, andmilitary means to achieve a sphere of economic and military influence inwhat Moscow calls its "near abroad:" the Baltic States, Ukraine, and thenon-Russian states in Central Asia and the Caucasus that used to be part ofthe Soviet Union but became independent when it collapsed (Starr, 1996). Russia started a war in the breakaway republic of Chechnya inDecember 1994. Including itsholdover Soviet debts, Russia owes approximately $13 billion (Judis,1995). A critical concern is the sale of Russian nuclear reactors to Iran.The Islamic regime in Tehran has launched a bid to acquire nuclear weapons. Russia is striking out on its own, taking a path that already hasled to confrontation with the West. hasturned a blind eye to the atrocities in Chechnya. Boris Yeltsin's health is failing. Itwas signed with the now-defunct U.S.S.R. White, Stephen, Alex Pravda and Zvi Gitelman (1994). However, the Clinton Administration has put NATO expansion on the backburner, both to secure Moscow's cooperation in peacekeeping in Bosnia andto appease Yeltsin (Brzezynski, 1995). Critics became worried when Clinton agreed to aunilateral revision of the treaty that permitted the Russians to exceedagreed limits on conventional weapons in Russia's northern and southernstates. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself does notsupport this sale, believing it could endanger both Russian and Westernsecurity. According to critics,Yeltsin today is presiding over the return of the hard-line Sovietnomenklatura to top positions of power. The President and hisaides have bent over backwards not to offend President Yeltsin as he hascrushed the rebellion, which so far has resulted in over 3 , deaths andmore than 3 , refugees (Starr, 1996). "Trotskyism to Anachronism," Foreign Affairs,July/August 1995. A major point of disagreement between President Clinton and his U.S.critics concerns the U.S. Moreover,Russia is far behind in meeting the weapons system destruction targetsstipulated by the CFE (Brzezinski, 1995). Moreover, criticspoint out that Russia is already far behind on meeting the weapons systemdestruction targets stipulated by the CFE agreement (Judis, 1995).Background On August 17, 1991, hard-line elements of the Communist Party of theSoviet Union, the Russian army, and the KGB attempted a coup against SovietPresident Mikhail Gorbachev. aid programs often disregardRussia's real needs and are ineffective (Judis, 1995). assistance to the reform efforts in Russia and other formerSoviet states has been poorly executed. Most Russian politicians, erroneously claiming thatNATO has aggressive designs against Russia, are using the NATO expansionissue to build up nationalism and anti-Western sentiments at home (Judis,1995). Starr, S. Duke University Press: Durham, NC. Also dividing President Clinton and his critics is NATO expansion.The 1994 Contract With America stipulated that NATO enlargement (to includePoland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic) should be a top national priority. Russia's unilateral violation of the CFE treaty, signed in 199 ,threatens other former Soviet states, such as Ukraine, the Balticcountries, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. Agency for InternationalDevelopment as the main implementing agency for assistance. Russia, Ukraine,Kazakhstan, and other former Soviet republics became independent. Another important issue is aid to Russia and the NIS countries. As aresult, the U.S. Russia's neighbors in the Baltic region orthe Caucasus are now more insecure as the number of weapons and tanks onthe Russian border continue to grow. Bibliography Allison, Graham T. "Russia and the West: What is to Be DoneNow?" World Policy Journal, XI:1. So far, over 3 , people have been killed and over3 , others have become refugees. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.