Publication

This report examines relations between the United States and Russia. American involvement on the Russian periphery is reaching unprecedented proportions even as a consensus has emerged in Russia that these areas constitute its exclusive sphere of influence. To avoid a collision, Washington and Moscow should initiate a dialogue on their respective activities in former Soviet countries to develop tacit rules in pursuing their interests. This effort should eschew any inclination to divide former Soviet republics into spheres of influence. Rather, both governments should give each other ample warning of their activities and seek solutions to their differences.