What Russia's Election Means for our Presidential Candidates

What's remarkable about the U.S. election is how much it is about a change. In Russia, the exact opposite is the case. The candidate most in command, Dmitri Medvedev -- also known as Vladimir Putin's "Mini-Me" -- pledges to Russian voters as well as investors that he is the best candidate who can guarantee that things in Moscow will not change. Vote for him and nothing abrupt will happen, he seems to be saying. Indeed, he invokes Putin with the same obsequiousness and nostalgia as Republicans invoke Ronald Reagan. Medvedev, to borrow John McCain's overused phrase, has been a foot soldier in Putin's revolution, whatever that means.

What's also remarkable is how little Russia has surfaced in the American presidential election -- whereas it's pretty safe to say what Moscow's policy vis-à-vis Washington will be after next month's election (angry, hyperventilating, aggressive). None of the U.S. candidates have crafted any thoughtful policy on Russia beyond a few zinger catch-phrases that involve Putin's soul and Bush's gullibility -- most of them have fizzled. I am unaware of what these presidential contenders' policies are regarding some sticky issues like missile defense, Georgia, Kosovo, or energy security. Would any of them pull the plug on an Energy Department program that employs Russian scientists at institutes that supply nuclear technology to Iran? Would any of the candidates agree to rollbacks in nuclear warheads, as stipulated under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and as elder statesmen like Sam Nunn, William Perry, George Schultz, and Henry Kissinger have advised.

Moreover, what are the candidates' thoughts about reports that Russia has revived the Soviet-era psychiatric incarceration of political dissidents? I'm glad that Obama will sit down with our enemies -- and make no mistake, Russia is not our ally -- and talk to them. But will he invoke his inner Cheney and press them on uncomfortable issues of human rights and democracy rollback? Moreover, does hectoring countries like Russia even work, or does it just cause them to close their borders and clamp down on human rights groups? Russia just denied a visa to the head of Human Rights Watch, a ballsy move even by the low standards of Putin's administration.

In some ways, I'm almost glad our presidential candidates are ignoring Russia. It proves that Russia really only matters in the minds of flag-thumping Russians but is really an afterthought for most American voters (most of whom worry more about jobs being exported to China, not Russians bombing Eastern Europe). And it's hard to imagine Medvedev and McCain fishing together in Maine. But the candidates' hear-no-evil-see-no-evil non-policies toward Moscow could come back to haunt them. American universities' Sovietology studies departments have been drained of talent and potential presidential advisors (not that Condoleezza Rice's Cyrillic skills helped smooth U.S.-Russian relations any). Here's to hoping in the coming debates there will be at least one question directed at the candidates on U.S.-Russia relations. But not more than one. Don't want to feed Moscow''s already inflated -- yet strangely fragile -- ego.

Comments

[rkx13]

Maybe Putin and Bush really did see themselves in each others soul. They both have proven that with enough corruption and money there are no limits. You can do anything you please.
It makes no difference what kind on government you start with.

[akhmatova]

The fact that the US candidates in their never-ending superficial beauty contest election have not touched on the complex and nuanced topic of Russia-US relations is not surprising. US candidates and populus are for the most part ill-informed about the country, preferring to stay wrapped up in their cold war, old paradigm sterotypes that are so comfortable. What is wrong with HuffingtonPost, can't they find someone with current insight on Russia-US relations and whose sounds like he is from Brezhnev days?

[MagisterLudi]

The less U.S. pays attention to other countries, the better. Especially under this pathetic administration with it's tools of political propaganda.

[cylindar]

You make Russians sound like they are all assholes. I suppose America is truth and light and Russia is evil and darkness huh? Get real!! Sure there will be problems with the Russian government as well as many many others such as China. Why single out Russia, Do you have Russiaphobia?

[MagisterLudi]

I know it's difficult to understand for a nation with a withered sense of history. But Russians have been subjected in innumerable wars that threatened it's territorial integrity and and its existence.

The 20 million dead during WW2 shape modern perceptions of Russian leadership and people.
Rightly or wrongly, Russian people decided that a strategic buffer zone is needed in order to prevent another disaster.

USSR removed its troops from E. Europe in a deal that would preclude these countries to enter NATO. This agreement was treacherously broken.

The Strategics Arms agreement was broken by USA.

Now US is attempting to place elements of its missile systems on Russia border with a blatant lie.

Americans opened military bases in the former Soviet -Stans. Georgia is sure to join in.

Americans actively tried to prevent Russia from developing and selling its oil and gas abroad and developing economic agreements with other former Soviet republics.
Ethnic Russians are actively subjected to racist laws in the Baltic region, under approving and protective eye of EU.

Russia is flooded with American and Western spies.

Of course Russians are just flag waving and hysterical. They have nothing to be concerned about and should just submit to the tender mercies of American and British military machines and diplomats.

[MilwaukeeDan]

ML, you forgot to mention the rape of Russia during Yelsin's rule, remember the oligarchs? And why the hell is NATO constantly moving eastward? The American recognition of Kosovo has more to do with Camp Bondsteel than the poor Albanians(they just haven't figured that out ,yet).

[mvj]

You forgot to mention the millions of people in the Baltic states killed or exiled to Siberia by the Russians under Stalin. The genocide committed against the Baltics by Russia wasn't limited to just killing people either, they tried to kill the unique culture of the region by settling Russians.

The so-called racist laws are meant to counteract a half-century of cultural genocide. But I guess you, like most Russians, just see the Baltics as a geographical buffer and access to the sea, inconveniently populated by non-Russians.

[MagisterLudi]

MVJ,

We talking NOW, not Stalin, not Brezhnev. NOW.

I hope you've heard of this concept.

[dykalg]

americans have alot to learn about the russians. but they wont learn it from american (tame) media. only recently did i find out that the russians fought the 5 million strong army of the third reich from the suburbs of moskow to the final encirclement of berlin and defeat of hitler in his bunker in april 1945. it was a forward party of 6 RUSSIANS, led by MININ, who planted the soviet flag on the parapet of the reichstag. this was replayed using actors for photographers the next day. and the americans came later.....
the americans are right to fear russia. they will not submit . ever.

[Oldtt]

The most serious candidates running in their respective primaries are all members of the U.S. Senate, who hopefully will not be issuing foreign policy statements concerning tricky situations like Russian relations that could have the effect of undercutting existing State Dept. policy initiatives. Why urge them to do so?

[oldpotsmuggler]

If nothing else, Russia is untapped commodities in an economic age that places a value premium on commodities. As such it is an important place, and should appropriately be treated as such.

Further, it seems likely to me that the main reason why Russia does not yet qualify as an ally is because we have not yet had a President talented enough to close the deal. Getting things like this done is really what we should expect of our Presidents, but, instead, we allow them to delegate the job to a person who is only sufficiently talented to find employment as a Secretary of State. For the top jobs we need our top employee, and in our system that means the President.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have one who would look at the job of uniting the world from that perspective?

[desmirl]

Russia is still formidable, mainly because their nuclear forces have been upgraded the the past few years. To ignore their presence on the world stage is to invite disaster.

[MilwaukeeDan]

Sir, what exactly do you think is going to change once we get a new president? Let me rephraze that, what will be the biggest change with a new president? Nothing in Washington DC changes that quickly, we are still fighting the cold war and we're still bitching about Castro, so tell me about all this great change. Our economic policy is that of Reagan, trickle down my back. Your blog is BS.