President Obama has kept his promise to hit the "reset button" regarding relations with Russia. His decision to scrap the Bush administration's plan to deploy missile interceptors and radars in Central Europe is an important conciliatory gesture. He can and should do even more. It would be wise for his administration to abandon its ill-advised campaign to bring Ukraine and Georgia into NATO, which Moscow justifiably regards as a provocative intrusion into Russia's security sphere.

But for the reset to work, Russia must also back away from provocative actions it is taking in America's backyard. In particular, Moscow needs to end its political and military flirtation with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. Instead, the Kremlin seems to be escalating its hostile and destabilizing...