• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
U.S.-Russian Relations: The Case for an Upgrade
Report

U.S.-Russian Relations: The Case for an Upgrade

Highly touted in both Washington and Moscow as a "strategic partnership" in 2001, the relationship has drifted and the gap between glowing rhetoric and thin substance has grown. When major policy differences emerge, as over war in Iraq in 2002-2003 and recently over Ukraine, all too easily the U.S.-Russian relationship spirals into "crisis," and the threat of a "new Cold War" looms.

Link Copied
By Andrew Kuchins, Vyacheslav A. Nikonov, Dmitri Trenin
Published on Jan 26, 2005

Additional Links

Full Text (PDF)
Program mobile hero image

Program

Russia and Eurasia

The Russia and Eurasia Program continues Carnegie’s long tradition of independent research on major political, societal, and security trends in and U.S. policy toward a region that has been upended by Russia’s war against Ukraine.  Leaders regularly turn to our work for clear-eyed, relevant analyses on the region to inform their policy decisions.

Learn More

"The recent sharp dispute over the Ukrainian presidential elections vividly illustrated the fragile and shallow nature of the U.S.-Russian relationship. Highly touted in both Washington and Moscow as a "strategic partnership" in 2001, the relationship has drifted and the gap between glowing rhetoric and thin substance has grown. When major policy differences emerge, as over war in Iraq in 2002-2003 and recently over Ukraine, all too easily the U.S.-Russian relationship spirals into "crisis," and the threat of a "new Cold War" looms."

Click on the link above for full text of this Carnegie report in English and Russian.

About the Authors
Andrew C. Kuchins is Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center. He conducts research and writes widely on Russian foreign and security policy. He is a member of the governing council of the Program on Basic Research and Higher Education in Russia, the advisory committee of Washington Profile, and the editorial board of the journal, Demokratizatsiya.

Vyacheslav Nikonov is the President of the Polity Foundation in Moscow. He is the author of  "Contemporary Russian Politics" (2003), "The Age of Change: Russia of the 1990s through Conservative's Eyes" (1999), "Conservative Manifesto" (1994), "The Republicans: From Nixon to Reagan" (1988), "Iran-Contra Affair" (1987), "The Republicans : From Eisenhower to Nixon" (1984).

Dmitri Trenin is Deputy Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, where he also co-chairs the Program on Foreign and Security Policy. He is the author of numerous articles and books on Russian security issues, including, most recently, Russia’s Restless Frontier: The Chechnya Factor in Post-Soviet Russia (Carnegie, 2004)

About the Authors

Andrew Kuchins

Former Senior Associate and Director, Russian & Eurasian Program

Vyacheslav A. Nikonov

Polity Foundation

Dmitri Trenin

Former Director, Carnegie Moscow Center

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

Authors

Andrew Kuchins
Former Senior Associate and Director, Russian & Eurasian Program
Andrew Kuchins
Vyacheslav A. Nikonov
Polity Foundation
Dmitri Trenin
Former Director, Carnegie Moscow Center

Additional Links

Full Text (PDF)
CaucasusRussiaPolitical ReformDemocracyEconomyMilitaryForeign PolicyNuclear PolicyNuclear Energy

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.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Capitol building from below
    Commentary
    Emissary
    What the New Democratic Congress Can (and Can’t) Do on Foreign Policy

    Democrats now have the gavel and the purse, but the executive branch still pulls the levers on the U.S. role in the world.

      • +10

      James M. Acton, Dan Baer, Mark Baldassare, …

  • military personnel standing around a helicopter
    Commentary
    Emissary
    How a U.S.-Russia Standoff Ended a Decades-Old UN Mission in Western Sahara

    MINURSO’s renewal by the Security Council became highly politicized. Its expiration brings concerns about renewed violence and the future of demining efforts.

      • Sarah Yerkes

      Sarah Yerkes

  • Aerial shot of a group of buildings
    Commentary
    Emissary
    COP31 and the Future of Climate Clubs

    As the United States exits UN climate efforts, these smaller and less formal groupings will take on greater significance in global climate governance.

      Theodore Zaritsky, Stewart Patrick

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Is Russia Winning the Perception War in Germany?

    In Germany, competing perceptions of Russia are highlighting a tension between public opinion and government policy. In the country’s east, where division is widespread, populist parties are taking advantage.

      • Gwendolyn Sasse

      Gwendolyn Sasse

  • Aerial View of Tender Drilling Oil Rig
    Article
    Energy Turmoil Puts the Gulf of Guinea Back on the Map

    Two decades since Washington elevated West African oil as a strategic priority, the frontier has reemerged as a promising alternative for U.S. energy security.

      • Judd Devermont

      Judd Devermont, Gabrielle Posner

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.