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The election of Barack Obama as President means that he now joins President Dmitry Medvedev as the first post-baby boom leaders of their respective nations. Because the two leaders are so clearly of a new generation, they have the most opportunity to finally succeed in breaking the old patterns of distrust and disengagement between the United States and Russia.
Asia once was regarded as the vanguard of a global wave of democratization that, over the past three decades, has swept through southern Europe, Latin America, and Africa as well. In recent years, however, Asia has witnessed a democracy backlash.
The success of "state capitalism" – a capitalist economy run with a high degree of state control – has made it a model for states across the developing world. Western powers may now be wondering whether their brand of capitalism will triumph after all.
The crisis in Georgia bluntly revealed the failure by the United States and Russia to create a closer working relationship after the Cold War. Agreements like the START and Concentional Armed Forces in Europe treaties could help establish a new book of rules both countries can embrace.
In this phase of the financial crisis, struggling countries are looking to rising powers for help, rather than turning to the conditional aid traditionally offered by the IMF. This trend highlights the shifting global financial order and indicates that emerging powers will undoubtedly play a larger role as the international community attempts to define a new global financial system.
Putin’s role in Russia currently remains unclear. Amidst the transition of the U.S. government, this factor will hinder U.S.-Russia relations. However, a bilateral commission made up of past U.S. and Russian presidents, with Putin serving the role of past president, can alleviate this problem.
New leadership in Moscow and Washington will soon face decisions that will reshape the U.S.-Russia agenda and set new priorities. The governments both countries should not succumb to the political inertia that has followed the Caucasus conflict. Instead, they must show reflection and restraint.
At a crucial point in U.S.-Russia relations, many of the former Russian and U.S. ambassadors gathered together and urged both the Russian and U.S. governments to exercise reflection and restraint. In a joint statement released as the culmination of a several-day meeting, the ambassadors called upon the creation of an improved framework for consultations and negotiations between the two nations.
2007 witnessed a "notable setback for global freedom." Some of this is the fault of the Bush administration, whose policies have given democratization a bad name. At the same time, new democracies have not figured out how to secure their new political systems beyond their first elections. Some democratization advocates wonder whether democracy has reached its global limits.
In the wake of the Russia-Georgia conflict, the United States should pursue a comprehensive 12 step strategy towards its relations with Russia. Although this strategy would focus on protecting American national interests, it does not exclude directly speaking with the Russians. Consequently, it stresses that cooperation on certain issues and successful diplomacy are essential for the two nations.