A Less Ideological America

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In The Media

Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

A Less Ideological America

Russia’s aspirations for the next U.S. administration, although taken with a grain of salt, should not be treated as irrelevant. Ideally, from a Russian perspective, the next administration will act on the basis of U.S. interests and avoid unilateralism. Nevertheless, Russia does not seek to supplant the current U.S. system with a different one.

By Dmitri Trenin

Published on Sep 3, 2008

Source: The Washington Quarterly

Russia will most likely be one of the pivotal countries in the twenty-first century whose eventual orientation will help shape the future global system. Thus, as the U.S. presidential candidates present their foreign policy visions, Russia’s thoughts and aspirations, although taken with a grain of salt, should not be treated as irrelevant.

Ideally, from a Russian perspective, the next administration will act on the basis of U.S. interests, avoiding slipping into the fundamentalism of democratic ayatollahs or the antiauthoritarian crusades of the new cold warriors. Although Russia does not want a hegemonic United States, it also does not seek to supplant the U.S. system with a different one; it merely wants to make sure that the United States stays within its borders and respects the legitimacy of other regimes.

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About the Author

Dmitri Trenin

Former Director, Carnegie Moscow Center

Trenin was director of the Carnegie Moscow Center from 2008 to early 2022.

Recent Work

Commentary
Mapping Russia’s New Approach to the Post-Soviet Space
- Dmitri Trenin
Commentary
What a Week of Talks Between Russia and the West Revealed
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Foreign Policy Caucasus Russia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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