The U.S. - Russian Reset Is Definitely Dead

So Much For The Reset -- David Satter, New York Post

Putin needs to make the US the enemy, no matter how many concessions we give Russia.

The news that Russia has no plans to hand over former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden casts an important light on the “reset” policy that has defined US–Russian relations for almost five years.

The Snowden case should be relatively straightforward. He has violated the laws of the US. His passport has been cancelled, and he cannot legally leave the transit area of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. The US has asked for his return. In the last five years, the US has returned 1,700 Russian citizens to Russia at the request of the government. Of these, 500 were criminal deportations.

Despite this, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Snowden had the right to “fly in any direction” from the transit zone. This type of response was exactly what the reset policy was supposed to prevent. The policy was based on the notion that President Bush had mishandled Russia and responsiveness to Russian concerns would produce positive results. The policy, however, had a serious flaw. It failed to account for the nature of the Russian system and the psychology of the Russian leaders.

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My Comment: Regular readers of this blog know that my nationality is Russian .... and .... they also know that I have been a constant critics of the Obama administration and it policies towards Russia. David Satter does a good analysis on what is wrong ..... I would just add that this dysfunctional relationship will only continue for the simple reason that the White House and the State Department are totally disengaged with what is happening in Moscow (and elsewhere) .... a disengagement that will (in the end) be costly for all of us.