Russo-American Relations: At A Crossroads?

Over at The Reaction Michael Stickings picks up on a piece by Newsweek's Michael Hirsh about U.S. relations with Russia in the current international environment. Hirsh notes Russia recent involvement is several areas that the United States would normally take a lead:

Now Bush is having trouble keeping up with all of Putin's diplomatic initiatives: talking with Hamas, seeking a middle ground with Iran and organizing the G8 summit, which Russia (once a barely tolerated observer nation) will host for the first time in St. Petersburg in July.

Here's more on Russia's talks with Hamas, from The New York Times (March 4, 2006):

MOSCOW, March 3 - Russia greeted the leaders of the militant Palestinian group Hamas on Friday with a pointed warning that the organization had to recognize Israel and dismantle its militias or face isolation.

As Hamas officials began a high-profile, three-day visit here, the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said that Moscow would convey to them a position shared by the United States and other international mediators in the Middle East conflict, as well as "most of the Arab capitals." He said Hamas, which won control of the Palestinian parliament last month, needed to transform itself into a legitimate political movement on the model of the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland. [...]

The invitation from President Vladimir V. Putin, announced last month during a visit to Spain, surprised and angered Israeli and American officials, who had tried to isolate Hamas after its victory in Palestinian elections. Russia has since sought to reassure its sometime partners that it did not intend to diverge significantly from international efforts to resolve the conflict. [...]

Though Hamas delegations have visited Iran and Turkey since the election, the trip to Moscow is the first outside the Islamic world. It has given the group, classified by the United States and the European Union as a terrorist organization, an international legitimacy it clearly desires, much to Israel's chagrin.

Clearly Putin is trying to reestablish Russia as a major player on the international scene. Indeed, Russia's role with both North Korea and Iran is crucial to any progress made in those crises. Russia's role is even more important now that the United States is bogged down in Iraq. Our involvement in Iraq basically makes any threat of the use of force against Iran unrealistic. Therefore we must hope that Russia (and other states - China, India etc.) will work towards the greater good and not merely try to fill perceiveded "vacuum of global leadership left by Bush," as Hirsh put it.

Our relationship with Russia is crucial in the current global environment and has recently caused divisions within the Bush administration.

Consider this Washington Post article, from February 26, 2006:

The Bush administration is quietly exploring ways of recalibrating U.S. policy toward Russia in the face of growing concerns about the Kremlin's crackdown on internal dissent and pressure tactics toward its neighbors, according to senior officials and others briefed on the discussions.

Vice President Cheney has grown increasingly skeptical of Russian President Vladimir Putin and shown interest in toughening the administration's approach. He summoned Russia scholars to his office last month to solicit input and asked national intelligence director John D. Negroponte to provide further information about Putin's trajectory, the sources said.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has sought to balance worries over Russian democracy with a pragmatic partnership on mutual issues such as Iran's nuclear program, responded by calling her own meeting with outside advisers a week ago. Some involved in the administration deliberations saw the move as an attempt to counter Cheney. Senior officials deny any split but describe the views of Cheney and Rice in different terms. [...]

Another person close to the discussions said Rice, a Russia scholar, privately believes that pushing Putin too hard on democracy would be counterproductive, and views the issue as a distraction from higher priorities. "You get the impression it was annoyance more than anything else -- 'we got so many other things to think about, we don't need this,' " the person said.

This split within the administration is fascinating. I tend to side with Sec. of State Rice, being that she is a Russia scholar. This will be interesting to watch play out, both domestically and internationally.