Moving the U.S.-Russian Relationship Forward

by Mark B. Levin and David Shulman
Special to the Jewish Week

U.S. relations with Russia, home to world Jewry's third-largest population, have deteriorated to their lowest point in more than 25 years. The U.S. and Russia have clashed over Russia's tense relations with its neighbors, Iran, energy, expanded NATO membership and more. Russia blames the U.S. for the global economic crisis' impact on its economy, has voiced anti-American sentiments at home and has expanded relations with Venezuela, Iran, and Hamas.

Russia's increasingly assertive foreign policy challenges some U.S. goals. Russia's military conflict with Georgia in August 2008, its cyber and diplomatic conflict with NATO member Estonia in April 2008, its repeated claims to Ukrainian Crimea, and its recent natural gas shut-off to Ukraine and the EU have all heightened tensions with the U.S.

On the domestic front, Russia's

economic situation is rapidly deteriorating. Loss of revenue, due to its dependence on windfall oil profits, is creating a political and economic predicament as prices plummet. And, in an unstable Russia, ethnic and religious minorities are increasingly vulnerable. The economic crisis has sparked anti-government protests, as wages fall and unemployment rises, and racist violence has spiked sharply. 2008 saw a record number of assaults by skinheads and murders of non-ethnic Russians, and Interior Ministry statistics show a 300% increase in extremist crimes in the last four years.

The hope for a grand convergence between Russia and the West has eroded. Because of this decline, it is vital to reengage Russia, in order to accomplish U.S. goals in the region and around the world. President Barack Obama has a chance, right now at the start of his Administration, to change the course of relations.

President Obama can begin to create a long-term relationship with Russia by initiating contacts with Prime Minister Putin and President Medvedev, possibly visiting Moscow this year and appointing a senior Administration official to oversee policy towards the region. NCSJ recommends the following to the Administration:

* Promote a constructive, positive, and institutionally robust long-term relationship with Russia despite the persistence of contentious or outstanding issues and leadership changes;

* Work with Russian government entities, including police and courts, to recognize and prosecute extremist activities and hate crimes, and to work effectively with organizations that protect ethnic and religious minorities;

* Improve local healthcare to stem Russia's dramatic demographic decline;

* Secure meaningful Russian support for compliance with U.S.-led nonproliferation and threat reduction efforts in Russia, Iran and elsewhere;

* Reinforce and modernize the existing arms control framework while addressing Russian concerns on missile defense and conventional force limits;

* Reinforce our commitment to the national sovereignty of states in the former Soviet region by supporting the unhindered voluntary integration of Russia's neighbors, all independent states, into key Euro-Atlantic institutions, including the European Union and NATO;

* Russia's Jewish community today enjoys open emigration and dynamic community development. As U.S.-Russian relations show improvement, the Obama Administration can recognize this progress by removing Russia from the strictures of the Trade Act of 1974 ("Jackson-Vanik"), which limits U.S. trade with countries based on their emigration policies.

As Russia becomes increasingly authoritarian, advancing U.S. interests will require a more flexible and ingenious approach. The U.S. must be sensitive to Russian concerns, but not at the expense of promoting democratic principles and ideals throughout the former Soviet Union. At a time of heightened nationalism and xenophobia, it is incumbent upon the U.S. to work with Russia to counter this growing threat against minority groups, including the Jewish community.

Mark B. Levin is Executive Director, and David Shulman is a Program Assistant at NCSJ: Advocates on behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia, formerly the National Conference on Soviet Jewry.