Working With Obama, This Time Around

The following are excerpts from a collection of essays called How It Looks from Here that ran on openDemocracy in the weeks before America’s presidential election.

The Russian View

by Dimitri Trenin

On the face of it, the contrast could not be starker. On the one hand there is a president who, right from the beginning of his term, moved to “reset” U.S.-Russian relations, which had reached a dangerous point under his predecessor. On the other hand there is a challenger who, during the campaign, famously proclaimed Russia to be the United States’ “geopolitical foe number one.” Given this, it is hardly surprising that official Moscow would prefer Barack Obama to win in November. However, things are not as simple and clear-cut as they might seem.

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Read more: www.tol.org

Russians wait for Obama to show flexibility on missile plan

Objecting to NATO’s Europe defense shield

By Max Seddon

Russia expects President Obama to abide by his promise to show more flexibility in a dispute over U.S. missile defense plans in Europe following his re-election, a top official said Thursday.

The controversy over the planned missile shield has strained the relations between the United States and Russia. Moscow has rejected Washington’s assurances that the shield is intended to fend off potential missile threats from Iran and voiced concerns that the system could threaten Russia’s nuclear deterrent.

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Read more: www.washingtontimes.com/