When the U.S. Talks About Russia

Notwithstanding the impending departure of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the possibility of war with Iran, and the general crisis in the Middle East, a striking feature of this year’s presidential campaign has been the lack until quite recently of substantive discussion of foreign policy (See for instance Mitt Romney, “Mitt Romney: A New Course for the Middle East,” Wall Street Journal, 30 Sep 2012). With U.S. unemployment still high, both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney recognize that, even more than usual, this election will be decided by the economy. Nevertheless, the U.S. faces an increasingly complex international environment, and the candidates do voters a disservice by failing to articulate their foreign policy visions. Oddly, one issue the candidates have consistently discussed is U.S.-Russia relations. The two men’s comments about Russia have been sharply distinct, and provide insight not only into their thinking about Russia, but into their foreign policy thinking writ large.