American Academy of Arts & Sciences
Designing U.S. Policy Toward Russia
On November 15, President Obama and President Medvedev met in Singapore on the sidelines of the APEC Summit. Read their statements on the conversation.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Russia in October. Read her remarks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and her remarks at a reception for civil society leaders. You can also watch her Town Hall Meeting at Moscow State University.

On August 4, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on Georgia one year after the August 2008 war. Read the testimony of Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Phillip H. Gordon and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Alexander Vershbow. You can also watch the webcast.

On July 28, the Subcommittee on Europe of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing to evaluate the Moscow Summit. Read the testimony of Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip H. Gordon and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia Policy Celeste A. Wallander. You can also watch the webcast.

On July 7, President Obama gave the commencement speech at the New Economic School in Moscow. See reactions to the Moscow Summit.

President Barack Obama and President Dmitri Medvedev met for the first time at the G-20 in April. Read their Joint Statement and their remarks.

On March 27, 2009 the American Academy of Arts and Sciences co-hosted “Designing U.S. Policy toward Russia,” a day-long conference held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The conference was sponsored by Carnegie Corporation of New York. For more information and to read Senator John Kerry’s keynote address, go to the Carnegie website.

Under Secretary for Political Affairs William Burns spoke at the World Russia Forum on Monday, April 27, 2009. Go to the Department of State website to read his remarks.

About

      Though the Obama administration has pledged to “hit the reset button” with Russia, and negotiations are ongoing on matters of the utmost importance to both nations, there is much work to be done. Relations between the United States and Russia are more strained than at any time since the collapse of the Soviet Union. With support from Carnegie Corporation, the Academy is conducting a major reexamination of U.S. foreign policy toward Russia. The goal is to develop a comprehensive, coherent, and effective policy on U.S.-Russian relations for consideration by the new U.S. administration, Congress, and the media. Outreach efforts at regional, national and international levels will ensure that the project’s results are widely disseminated and its policy recommendations given serious consideration.
      The Strategic Assessment (below) is the main product of the Academy project. In addition, however, the site offers a list of other recent reports that display the breadth and depth of current thinking on the U.S.-Russia. By compiling the reports on one site we hope to develop synergy between the various projects and enrich the public discourse on U.S.-Russia relations. As new reports are released, links will be added to the list of resources on the site. (Please note that the views expressed are of the authors.)

Strategic Assessment

  Introduction (ppt)
  U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities and Russia's Place in them (ppt)
  A Comparison of U.S. and Russian Foreign Policy Priorities (ppt)
  Understanding Russia: The Challenges It Faces (ppt)
  Understanding Russia: The Challenges It Poses (ppt)
  The Goal: A Vision of U.S.-Russia Relations four or ten years from now (ppt)
  Character and Contents of a Strategic Dialogue (ppt)

The project Steering Committee includes: Robert Legvold (Project Director, Columbia University), Deana Arsenian (Carnegie Corporation of New York), Coit Denis Blacker (Stanford University), James F. Collins (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace), Thomas E. Graham (Kissinger Associates), Thomas R. Pickering (Hills & Company / The Boeing Company), Eugene Rumer (Institute for National Security Studies), Angela Stent (Georgetown University), and Strobe Talbott (The Brookings Institution).

News/Notes/Media

On January 28, 2010: A Conversation on Evolving U.S. Policy toward Russia. Robert Legvold and Thomas Graham at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

From June 30-July 1, 2009, the project participated in a joint seminar in Moscow, co-sponsored by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Russia’s Council for Foreign and Defense Policy, and RIA Novosti. Read some of the contributions of the American participants.

On May 21, 2009, Ambassador James F. Collins and Professor Robert Legvold spoke at the Southern Center for International Studies in Atlanta. Watch the presentation.

On March 30, Project Director Robert Legvold spoke about the future of U.S.-Russia relations at the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco. To watch the full event, go to Fora.tv.

Other Resources

After the “Reset”: A strategy and new agenda for U.S. Russia policy - Samuel Charap with Laura Conley, Peter Juul, Andrew Light, and Julian Wong

The Russia File: How to Move toward a Strategic Partnership – Robert Legvold

Obama, Russia, and Europe - Tomas Valasek

Improving Russia-U.S. Relations: The Next Steps - Thomas M. Nichols

The Russia Challenge: Prospects for U.S.-Russian Relations – David J. Kramer

What Will Obama Bring to Moscow? An appeal to U.S. experts – Lilia Shevtsova, Lev Gudkov, Igor Klyamkin, and Georgy Satarov

Beyond the ‘Reset Button’ – Samuel Charap

Beyond START: Negotiating the Next Step in U.S. and Russian Strategic Nuclear Arms Reductions – Steven Pifer

Resurgent Russia and U.S. Purposes – Thomas Graham

Repairing U.S.-Russian Relations: A Long Road Ahead – Eugene B. Rumer and Angela E. Stent

The Right Direction for U.S. Policy Toward Russia – The Hart-Hagel Commission

The Century Foundation Working Group on United States Policy toward Russia

Pressing the “Reset Button” on U.S. Russia Relations – Anders Åslund and Andrew Kuchins

Recommendations to the Obama Administration Regarding the U.S.-Russia Commercial Agenda - U.S.-Russia Business Council

Economic Whiplash in Russia: An Opportunity to Bolster U.S.-Russia Commercial Ties? – Samuel Charap and Andrew C. Kuchins

Testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, February 25, 2009 – Robert Legvold

Weiszacker Lecture at the American Academy in Berlin – Strobe Talbott

Reversing the Decline: An Agenda for U.S.-Russia Relations in 2009 – Steven Pifer

Thinking Strategically About Russia – Dmitri Trenin

Steering Committee Editorials

Ambassador’s Statement

For more information or to make comments, contact Rachel Salzman