Recent Event Highlights: U.S. Open to Nabucco Carrying Russian Gas, Medvedev Proposes Draft European Security Treaty, U.S. Alters Missile Defense Plan, Obama Visits Russia, Nabucco Agreement Signed, Vice President Biden Calls for a "Reset" on U.S.-Russian Relations, and 14 more...
Created by bkatcher on Feb 12, 2009
Last updated: 03/12/10 at 06:11 AM
President Obama skipped the Munich Security Conference, a major security conference in Europe. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2010/0205/Munich-security-conference-fresh-focus-on-Afghanistan-nuclear-weapons
Some criticized Obama for focusing too much on emerging powers while ignoring Europe.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov used the occasion to promote Russia's proposed European Security Treaty, which has been snubbed thus far by NATO. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/lavrov-to-push-new-security-pact/399071.html
(photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sergey_Lavrov-2.jpg
U.S. Ambassador for Eurasian Energy Richard Morningstar said the U.S. is open to Russian gas flowing through the Nabucco pipeline.
The statement comes amidst serious concerns as to whether enough gas can be found to fill the Nabucco pipeline and make it economically viable.
It is unclear whether Russia would be willing to participate.
Morningstar's full remarks can be found here: http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache%3A5OQyKeSjFq0J%3Awww.americanprogress.org%2Fevents%2F2010%2F01%2Fav%2Fmorningstar_remarks.pdf+ambassador+morningstar+center+for+american+progres&hl=en&gl=us&sig=AHIEtbQJskUNFTvCyAIngoDfHF8vNT3QEg&pli=1
(photo: US State Department)
http://turkmenistan.usembassy.gov/pr20090529.html
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev unveils his proposed European Security Treaty, which he claimed was designed to "finally get rid of the legacy of the Cold War." http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gia-K-w17xoBObTZupT_uyM5M9zg
The treaty requires signatories to "not undertake, participate in or support any actions or activities affecting significantly (the) security of any other Party or Parties to the Treaty," but failed to define what would constitute such an action. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gia-K-w17xoBObTZupT_uyM5M9zg
The idea has not gained traction within NATO, whose member states have called for NATO and Russia to develop a common security platform through existing institutions.
(photo: Russia Presidential Press and Information Office.)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dmitry_Medvedev_1_April_2009-1.jpg
President Obama announced that he was dropping plans to site missile interceptors and radar stations in Poland and the Czech Republic.
The shift was widely considered to be among the Obama administration's most significant foreign policy changes as president.
Guardian story here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/17/missile-defence-shield-barack-obama
(photo: Pete Souza, White House)
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Stronger_Smarter_and_Swifter_Defenses
President Obama visits Russia.
While in Russia, Obama was criticized for making remarks that some perceived as an effort to elevate Medvedev over Putin in Russian Politics. Obama said:
"The old Cold War approaches to U.S.-Russia relations is outdated and that it's time to move forward in a different direction. I think Medvedev understands that. I think Putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new." http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/06/obama.russia.issues/index.html
Russian President Medvedev delivers a video address on his blog on the subject of Russian-American Relations: their History and Outlook. http://eng.kremlin.ru/sdocs/vappears.shtml
(photo: Russian Presidential Press and Office of Information)
http://www.kremlin.ru/events/photos/2009/07/219112.shtml
The prime ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Turkey inked the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on the Nabucco Pipeline Project in Ankara, Turkey.
The Nabucco Pipeline is an EU-sponsored project meant to provide a way for Central Asian and possibly Middle Eastern natural gas to flow to Europe while bypassing Russia.
The IGA is an important step for the project, but financing and supply questions remain.
The Nabucco site is here: http://www.nabucco-pipeline.com/
U.S. and European officials have left the door open to Russian participation, but Russia is moving forward with an alternative pipeline called "South Stream" which would run from Russia to Italy and Austria via Turkish territorial waters, while bypassing Ukraine.
(photo: Sémhur)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nabucco_Gas_Pipeline-fr.svg
The Manas air base was a central hub for troops and supplies flowing in and out of Afghanistan.
The decision was apparently made under pressure from Moscow, which offered Kyrgyzstan an aid and loan package worth $2.1 billion.
Here is the story: http://www.rferl.org/content/Kyrgyzstan_Approves_US_Air_Base_Closure_Threatening_Afghan_Supply_Chain_/1495890.html
In a strange twist, Russia soon offered the United States its own territory for transporting troops and supplies.
The New Atlanticist blog covered this well: http://www.acus.org/new_atlanticist/russia-offers-afghanistan-cooperation
(photo: Master Sergeant Joe Davis, US Air Force)
http://www.af.mil/news/story_media.asp?storyID=123020084
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, speaking at a conference in Munich, Germany, said that the Obama administration wanted to "press the reset button" on relations with Russia."
Here is the transcript of Vice President's Remarks at the Munich Conference: http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=5130AB84-18FE-70B2-A8BD0434FCF6B9A7
(photo: Harald Dettenborn)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Msc_2009-Impressions-Dett_009.jpg
According to the Guardian, Obama's ascendancy was greeted with ambivalence in Russia. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/20/obama-inauguration-global-reaction
(photo: Jurvetson)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jurvetson/3207520361/
Russia recognizes the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, citing the precedent of the West's recognition of Kosovo.
Nicaragua is the only other state that has recognized the two breakaway provinces.
Here is a BBC interview with President Medvedev on this subject: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7582181.stm
(photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office)
http://archive.kremlin.ru/sdocs/news.shtml?day=8&month=08&year=2008&Submit.x=4&Submit.y=5&value_from=&value_to=&date=&stype=&dayRequired=no&day_enable=true
Russian and Georgian forces fought over the disputed enclaves of South Ossettia and Abkhazia.
For a concise summary see this piece by Nixon Center President Dmitri Simes at The Washington Note http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2008/08/guest_post_by_d_1/
This Q&A with CSIS's Sarah Mendelson is also useful. http://csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs/080811_cq_caucus_mendelson.pdf
(photo: Antonis Shen)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/antonis/2782236674/
Dmitry Medvedev, Putin's hand-picked successor, was inaugurated as Russia's third president since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Observers were unsure how power would be shared between the two leaders, but few doubted that Putin, who became Prime Minister, would continue to wield significant influence. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hDN1wW-xUbK_2uO3F32MxreYk5vw
(photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office)
http://kremlin.ru/dyn_images/big200276.jpg
The United States' plan to install ballistic missile defense installations in Eastern Europe was one of the most contentious issues in the bilateral relationship - until President Obama reversed the decision in July 2009.
According to this report http://www.globalaffairs.ru/docs/2017_eng_reader.pdf Russia was concerned that the installations may compel some countries to point their missiles at Russia, rather than the United States.
Many Western analysts felt that Russia was more concerned with preventing closer ties between the United States and Eastern European states, rather than the missile defense installations themselves.
The Obama administration offered to suspend the missile defense sites in exchange for Russian cooperation on the Iranian nuclear issue, but Russia's willingness to support further sanctions on Iran remains unclear.
(photo: US Navy)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Navy_Theater_Ballistic_Missile_Defense.JPG
The United States, France, Germany, and Britain recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence.
Russia, Spain, China and other countries that face separatist movements at home refused to recognize Kosovo's independence, and warned that the recognition could serve as a dangerous precedent.
This New York Times article sums up the facts well. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/world/europe/19kosovo.html
This discussion featuring Marshall Harris and Alan Kuperman provides helpful background. http://www.cfr.org/publication/15098
(photo: Thomas Guignard)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kosovo_Independence_Celebration_Car_with_Flags.jpg
Russia announced its intention to suspend participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty.
Like so many U.S.-Russian disagreements, the root of the conflict is a disagreement over Eastern Europe and the former Soviet states.
The United States has encouraged these states to integrate with the West, while Russia considers these countries to fall within its sphere of influence.
The main impetus for Moscow's decision was its desire to keep troops stationed in Georgia and in Moldova.
Russia was also dissatisfied that the Baltic states, which did not sign the treaty because they were part of the Soviet Union at the time of its ratification, refused to sign the CFE.
For background, consult this article http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=1183
(photo: Sijo Ripa)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Treaty_on_Conventional_Armed_Forces_in_Europe.PNG
Presidents Bush and Putin sign a 800-page free trade agreement that paves the way for Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The United States had been the last country opposed to Russian membership.
Here is the Peterson Institute's Anders Aslund's Testimony at the Hearing on EU Economic and Trade Relations with Russia on Russia's WTO Accession http://www.iie.com/publications/papers/paper.cfm?ResearchID=686
Despite the accord, Russia's WTO accession stalled due to concerns surrounding Russia's military incursion into Georgia in 2008 and a trade spat between Moscow and Washington over a Russian ban on some U.S. meat imports related to the recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus.
(photo: Eric Draper, White House)
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/11/images/20061119-4_d-0710-1-515h.html
Russia hosted the G8 summit in St. Petersburg amidst deteriorating relations between Russia and the West.
The G8 official website is here. http://en.g8russia.ru/
Strobe Talbott highlights Western concerns at the time of the summit about rising authoritarianism in Russia. http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2006/0630globalgovernance_talbott.aspx
(photo: Paul Morse, White House)
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/07/images/20060716_p071606pm-0157-515h.html
Following a dispute over gas prices and debt obligations, Russia cut off gas exports to Ukraine. This affected European countries as well, since most Russian gas to Europe arrives via Ukraine.
This article in the Guardian provides the details. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/jan/02/russia.ukraine
(photo: Samuel Bailey)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Major_russian_gas_pipelines_to_europe.png
In his annual state of the nation address to Parliament, President Putin calls the collapse of the Soviet Union "the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/1488723/Soviet-break-up-was-geopolitical-disaster-says-Putin.html
(photo: Cherie A. Thurlby, U.S. Department of Defense)
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/File:Putin_(cropped).jpg
Hundreds of thousands of of demonstrators protested for two months the re-election of Viktor Yanukovych, accusing his government of massive electoral fraud.
The protests compelled Yanukovych to hold a run-off vote under international observation.
Pro-western
opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko won the run-off and became president.
Here is the text of the Ukranian Supreme Court decision to nullify the first vote: http://www.skubi.net/ukraine/findings.html
Here is a time line of the events surrounding the "Orange Revolution" http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4061253.stm
Here is a relevant relevant article by Timothy Garton Ash and Timothy Snyder that appeared in the New York Review of Books http://www.nybooks.com/articles/article-preview?article_id=17957
(photo: Vladimir Ivshin)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Orange_revolution_kyiv.jpg
Journalists Anna Politkovskaya and Paul Klebnikov and the deputy of the Russian Central Bank are murdered. All three were critics of the Russian government.
The Klebnikov story: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/10/world/us-investigative-journalist-is-shot-to-death-in-russia.html
The Politkovskaya story http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/world/europe/08russia.html
The Koslov Obituary: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5345236.stm
The murders raised international suspicion of official involvement.
This New York Times editorial is a good example. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/03/opinion/03mon4.html
(photo: Андрей Ю. Вуколов)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mogila_Anna_Politkovskaya.jpg
NATO expanded to include Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia - all formerly communist countries.
Moscow was particularly concerned about the admission of the Baltic States - Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania - all three of which were formerly part of the Soviet Union.
(photo: Eric Draper, White House)
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2005/05/images/20050507-6_p44813-287jas-515h.html
Following a flawed parliamentary election, tens of thousands of demonstrators demanded the resignation of President Eduard Shevardnadze, Georgia's longest-serving post-independence President.
Pro-western opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili became president. Russia blamed the United States for orchestrating the coup.
The BBC has a time line of Georgian history here. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1102575.stm
(photo: Zaraza)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gamarjveba13.JPG
Russia joined China, France, and Germany in opposing the United States' invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
President Putin based Russia's opposition primarily on the basis of international law and said that invading Iraq without the approval of the United Nations Security Council was a "grave political error."
This report by Paul Saunders provides useful background on Russia's position. http://www.hoover.org/publications/policyreview/3448651.html
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is reported to have said that the United States should "punish Germany, ignore France, and forgive Russia" for opposing the invasion.
(photo: White House)
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030205-1.html#
The United States and Russia signed the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), also known as The Moscow Treaty.
The text of the treaty can be found here. http://www.armscontrol.org/documents/sort
The treaty requires both countries to reduce their strategic offensive weapons to 1700-2200 by 2012.
The treaty was criticized on two grounds.
1. It does not provide for any kind of enforcement or verification procedure.
2. It expires in 2012, after which date both countries are legally free to build additional weapons or redeploy existing weapons above the 2200 limit.
(photo: White House)
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/05/images/20020524-10_moscow1-515h.html
Presidents Bush and Putin signed a Text of Joint Declaration, establishing the Consultative Group on Strategic Security.
The Group, which consisted of each country's Defense Minister and Foreign Minister, was intended to be “the principal mechanism through which the sides strengthen mutual confidence, expand transparency, share information and plans and discuss strategic issues of mutual interest."
Despite this promise, the group met only once in September 2002, then did not meet again until 2007. http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2009/01_us_russia_relations_pifer/01_us_russia_relations_pifer.pdf
The full text of the Joint Declaration is here: http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/sort/joint-decl.html
(photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office)
http://www.kremlin.ru/eng/events/photos/2002/05/24_156649.shtml
President Bush announced the United States' decision to withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Defense Treaty.
President Bush's statement is here http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2002_01-02/docjanfeb02
Vladimir Putin's response is here http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/Missile/PutinRemarks.shtml
This decision was very unpopular in Moscow and was a precursor to future disagreements over missile defense installations in Eastern Europe.
(photo: Eric Draper, White House)
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/12/images/20011213-4.html
After a meeting between Presidents Bush and Putin, Bush famously said that ""The more I get to know President Putin, the more I get to see his heart and soul ...the more I know we can work together in a positive way."
President Bush made a conscious effort throughout his time in office to stress his warm relationship with President Putin.
As this BBC article from 2001 shows, the relationship between the leaders got off to a good start. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1392791.stm
However, despite meeting no fewer than 27 times, critics contend that his administration failed to give the substantive issues that define the relationship sufficient high-level attention.
(photo: Paul Morse, White House)
http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/president/putin-visit/07.html
In what Putin considered a gesture of goodwill toward the United States, Russia closed the Lourdes base - Moscow's main intelligence gathering facility in Cuba.
The Washington Post story is here http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/cuba/russia-dismantle.htm
(photo: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office.)
http://www.kremlin.ru/events/photos/2000/12/137684.shtml
Nineteen Al Qaeda hijackers crashed planes into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon Building in Washington, D.C.
President Vladimir Putin was one of the first foreign leaders to call the White House to express his condolences. http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=840
(photo: Wally Gobetz)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/159454993/
Update Sources