US-Russia Relations in Holding Pattern, Analysts Say

Relations between the United States and Russia are in a holding pattern until after the U.S. presidential elections in November, according to experts on diplomacy between the two nations.

According to this analysis, once the new American president is chosen and Vladimir Putin settles in as the new Russian president, U.S./Russia relations should resume a level of cooperation established in recent years.
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During the Russian presidential campaign, Putin used a lot of anti-American rhetoric, a tactic that worked for him in the past.

But Legvold says such discourse has negative consequences because "it reinforces the impression that the Russians are anti-American, or that Putin is anti-American, or not ready to behave constructively. If it is primarily for electoral purposes, it's very short-sighted."

Stephen Cohen, professor emeritus at Princeton University and New York University, points to anti-Russian rhetoric in the American presidential campaign.

"When Romney says Russia is now America's 'number one geopolitical enemy' - which is so far from the empirical truth it's hard to even comment on it," says Cohen, "it's heard in Moscow.

"It's heard as a serious statement," Cohen adds. "It means only bad will come from the Americans; that they won't be partners; they won't honor their agreements; they won't make concessions."
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Analysts say one thing is for sure: the U.S.-Russia relationship has grown over the years to such an extent that they say a return to the tension-filled Cold War days is virtually impossible.