At the Clark Forum that I attended tonight there was a lot more cooperation between the U.S. and Russia then I previously thought.  Still, their progress and relationship is limited and in the developmental stages.

Putin has now agreed to meet with President Obama twice this year.  This will be a limited partnership with Russia. Like most European countries the U.S. has no plans to become their ally.  The Russian – U.S. relationship has been a steep and slippery slope since the down fall of the Soviet Union, but both sides have wanted to resolve the situation as much as possible and are disappointed it has not come to fruition.  This relationship has many dimensions and for the U.S. has importance due to Russia’s size, geography, nuclear arsenal, and its permanent seat on the UN Security Council.  In many ways then I previously thought, the U.S. and Russia share common goals.  We together would like to counter terrorism and and face the new and controversial arctic pass along with some global warming initiatives.  The U.S. and Russia’s splinter relationship can hopefully be glued to fit the needs of both countries so as to create the best correspondence possible.

Even with that said, the U.S. and Russia still have some points of disagrement that may prove to haze over things.  The state behavior of the U.S. to Russia is almost appalling because of Russia’s view of classical sovereignty.  They believe sovereignty means not interfering with other regime changes.

The ties between Russia and America can be mended but with time a patience.  The U.S can not expect everting at once and must be realistic and focus on common interests and values that both countries share.