NEWSWATCH: “America’s Russia Policy Has Failed; Here are seven things the next U.S. president should do to put Washington back in the driver’s seat” – Foreign Policy/Thomas Graham, Matthew Rojansky
By any number of measures, Washington’s Russia policy has failed. While ostensibly suffering from diplomatic and economic isolation under a U.S.-led international sanctions regime, Moscow has succeeded in challenging a wide range of American interests, most notably in Ukraine, Syria, and cyberspace. Coming up with a new approach on Russia should therefore be a top priority … 1) Understand That It’s Not Just About Putin … 2) Stop Ukraine From Becoming a Frozen Conflict … 3) Have an Honest Talk About Europe … 4) Push for More Arms Control .. 5) Work With Russia in Asia… 6) Recognize That Syria Is About More Than Syria … 7) Show America’s Promise … For the moment, America’s priorities must be on putting out the fires of regional conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and preventing the simmering threats of WMD proliferation and a new arms race …. But success on any one of these issues cannot occur in a vacuum and depends on the credibility and effectiveness of the U.S. approach to other regions and issues where Russia holds important cards. …