Barack Obama: Yes We Can

Barack Obama’s term as U.S. president is likely to signal a change in U.S.-Russian relations, with U.S. foreign policy emphasizing pragmatism over ideology.

published by
Russia Today
 on January 21, 2009

Source: Russia Today

Carnegie Endowment’s Dmitri Trenin discussed his hopes and outlook for Barack Obama’s presidency in the context of U.S.-Russian relations on Russia Today. Trenin predicts that while there will be an element of change in U.S. policy towards Russia, it will be tempered by an element of continuity as well.

Trenin stressed that Obama’s presidency will mainly alter U.S. foreign policy by embodying “pragmatism with values” instead of “ideology with dogma.” While this will be a welcome change, Trenin argued that people around the world, and especially people in Russia should, “stop thinking of the U.S. as the czar of the world that needs to be toppled.” Instead, Trenin said, “The United States of America represents, I would say, the most important outside resource for any country that wants transformation and modernization, and a smart and clever and intelligent above all Russian government or administration should be able to seize upon that chance.”

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