Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

NATO-Russia Council. Additionally, Russia agreed to allow more NATO supplies to be transported across
Russian territory to Afghanistan (Dempsey).
While much progress has been made in building a stronger, more positive relationship between
Moscow and Washington, there are still many serious issues that could lead to an untimely break before the
reset of relations can be fully implemented. In August, Russia deployed an advanced surface-to-air missile
system to Abkhazia, showing Russia’s continued support for the breakaway province (Schwirtz). While
relations between the United States and Russia look quite promising after almost two years of intentional
engagement, lack of domestic support among other challenges could limit the possibility for long term
cooperation.
Broad Policy Options
There are three general policy options for approaching Russia: a hard line approach, a partial
engagement based on common interest approach, and a full engagement approach. The first approach, in
which the United States “calls things by their name…an authoritarian, bullying, and aggressive power and
admit that a new Cold War is on and act accordingly” would further isolate Russia and increase mistrust
(Legvold 81). Following Russia’s involvement in Georgia in August 2008, this seemed to be the way in
which U.S. Russian relations were going, but neither Moscow nor Washington were ultimately content
with this option. Henry Kissinger and George Shultz observed that “isolating Russia is not a sustainable
long-range policy. It is neither feasible nor desirable to isolate a country adjoin Europe, Asia and the
Middle East and possessing a stockpile of nuclear arms comparable to that of the United States” (Åslund 4).
Ultimately, some level of cooperation is mutually beneficial to the extent that a return to the cold war is
not a viable option.
Another option is a policy of partial engagement or an issue based engagement approach to U.S.-
Russian relations, holding that differences between the United States and Russia are large enough that full
engagement is not possible or is not desirable. The United States and Russia would work together on areas
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