Russia/USA: a new cold war?
04 November 2008 à 10h16
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Russia’s growing power in Latin America and the American omnipresence in Europe made the relations between the two countries very tense. Will the election of the new American President be the beginning of a new era?
“I can see Russia from my window!” The statement comes from Sarah Palin. Well, from the “fake” Sarah Palin who appears on Saturday Night Live program. But the joke is significant. The relations between the United States and Russia are not at their best. After 8 years of Bush administration, the two countries have a lot of work to do if they want to avoid a new cold war. But neither Russia nor America acknowledges the fact that this spectre is on the horizon.
Russia has never accepted Bush’s decision to deploy a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic. Both countries received warnings of possible invasions. And looking at what happened to Georgia last summer, they have things to worry about. Russia’s incursion into its former satellite country was deliberate. The mere thought of including Ukraine and Georgia in NATO was unbearable for the Russian authorities. Russia kept quiet for years when it was quite vulnerable after the communist era. It is no longer the case now.
While the United States tries to gain influence over Eastern Europe, Russia makes some moves towards Latin America, which is considered as the United States’ backyard. Russia is providing countries such as Nicaragua, Venezuela and Bolivia with money, tanks and weapons. These countries have now fallen into Russia’s sphere of influence. It was rather easy as the populations already have anti-American feelings. And some of their leaders, like Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez, are particularly aggressive towards the American government.
All the ingredients of a new cold war are building up. But that could change. The next American president, whoever he is, should be more willing to develop a new relationship with Russia. What with the growing influence of China, the ongoing war in Iraq, the Iran issue and the financial crisis, the United States is not as powerful as it used to be. A new cold war with Russia is an unnecessary and avoidable conflict that the new President could spare himself.
“I can see Russia from my window!” The statement comes from Sarah Palin. Well, from the “fake” Sarah Palin who appears on Saturday Night Live program. But the joke is significant. The relations between the United States and Russia are not at their best. After 8 years of Bush administration, the two countries have a lot of work to do if they want to avoid a new cold war. But neither Russia nor America acknowledges the fact that this spectre is on the horizon.
Russia has never accepted Bush’s decision to deploy a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic. Both countries received warnings of possible invasions. And looking at what happened to Georgia last summer, they have things to worry about. Russia’s incursion into its former satellite country was deliberate. The mere thought of including Ukraine and Georgia in NATO was unbearable for the Russian authorities. Russia kept quiet for years when it was quite vulnerable after the communist era. It is no longer the case now.
While the United States tries to gain influence over Eastern Europe, Russia makes some moves towards Latin America, which is considered as the United States’ backyard. Russia is providing countries such as Nicaragua, Venezuela and Bolivia with money, tanks and weapons. These countries have now fallen into Russia’s sphere of influence. It was rather easy as the populations already have anti-American feelings. And some of their leaders, like Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez, are particularly aggressive towards the American government.
All the ingredients of a new cold war are building up. But that could change. The next American president, whoever he is, should be more willing to develop a new relationship with Russia. What with the growing influence of China, the ongoing war in Iraq, the Iran issue and the financial crisis, the United States is not as powerful as it used to be. A new cold war with Russia is an unnecessary and avoidable conflict that the new President could spare himself.
