Publication

This paper discusses US-Russian relations after 9/11 and Vladimir Putin's commitment to Russia's integration with the West. The author argues that sustaining positive relations with Russia will not be cost-free, but will be a promising investment in a relationship (and a region) whose importance after 11 September has taken on a new meaning. The paper concludes that a strong, friendly Russia can help bolster stability and security in Eurasia and combat terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). It also concludes that Russia’s westward progress would be encouraged by several developments such as a bilateral strategic framework that constrains US ability to reconstitute a vast nuclear arsenal and provides reassurances that future US missile defenses will not negate Russian retaliatory capabilities.