U.S. - Russian Cooperation in the Post-Cold War Environment - History of Cooperation During Administrations of George H.W. Bush Through Obama, Role of Putin, Need to Reinvent Relationship

At a time when many are considering how the United States will fight the Russians, this monograph explores, instead, the history of U.S.-Russian cooperation in the post-Cold War era and analyzes the acceptability of U.S.-Russian cooperation, the substance of U.S.-Russian cooperation, and the elements of U.S.-Russian cooperation for the year 2017 and beyond. The author begins by recounting the many examples of cooperation during the Cold War and continues with a summary of cooperation during the administrations of George H.W. Bush through Barack H. Obama. He proceeds to answer three questions related to the prospects of future cooperation between the United States and the Russian Federation: Should the United States cooperate with Russia? On what should the United States and Russia cooperate? What principles should guide United States cooperation with Russia? Through his analysis, the author finds that despite the often tumultuous and increasingly adversarial relationship, cooperation has remained a consistent feature of U.S.-Russian relations. Moreover, he identifies a number of characteristics of Russian behavior and foreign policy, some in evidence during the tsarist period, which continue to influence the United States' dealings with Russia today. As the author describes, U.S.-Russian cooperation since the end of the Cold War has steadily deteriorated to the point at which some now characterize the relationship as being even worse than it was during the Cold War. Nevertheless, the author concludes that both countries will continue to seek ways to cooperate, but after forging a new relationship during the first two decades of the post-Cold War era and striving to preserve a troubled relationship during the third, the United States now must reinvent the relationship amid a significantly changed operating environment. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Forging a New Relationship: U.S.-Russia Cooperation during the Administrations of George H. W. Bush through George W. Bush (1989-2009) 3. Preserving a Troubled Relationship: U.S.-Russia Cooperation during the Administration of Barack H. Obama (2009-2017). 4. Reinventing the Relationship: Prospects for Future Cooperation with the Russian Federation 5. Conclusion Examining U.S.-Russia cooperation during the administration of President George H. W. Bush is important for three reasons. First, President Bush presided over the end of the Cold War and set the initial tone for post-Cold War relations. Thus, the George H. W. Bush Administration provides a logical starting point for assessing U.S.-Russia cooperation in the post-Soviet era. Second, the success of early efforts to cooperate on a range of issues reveals useful principles to consider for any cooperative regime with the Russians. Third, many key leaders of the current and recent Russian Government such as Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Primakov, and Sergei Lavrov-while junior-were nevertheless present during the Bush Administration and their understanding- despite would-be "resets"-includes this history. These early efforts at cooperation must have influenced in some measure, their own experiences with, and opinions toward, cooperating with the United States.