The majority of the presidential hopefuls have already outlined their policy towards Russia, said Matt Rojansky.
However, these promises are made in vain, he explained. When a candidate actually takes the hot seat, they learn a variety of new details concerning bilateral relations with a certain country. As well as classified data, the head of state receives detailed analytical reports to study.
While they are waging an electoral campaign, candidates are mostly concentrated on winning votes for and donation money, while having no time to review any analytical data.
It was known back then already, Kennan stressed, that Russia should be taken seriously and any claims about Russia should be always accompanied by actions. The most ineffective partner for Russia is one who talks a lot but does little. The Russians regard this as weakness.
Less rhetoric, more action – the most vital principle in relations with Russia.
It is at the heart of the standoff between the two countries, and for the past 25 years Russians have not seen any signs that the US is willing to accept their country as it is.
The US needs to set up a balance between managing the threats to its interests and respecting the sovereignty of other countries.
