js april 24, 2017, russia: friend, enemy, or frenemy?...
TRANSCRIPT
Friend, Enemy, or Frenemy? With relations between the U.S. and Russia at their lowest point in
decades, President Donald Trump has called for improving ties. But can Russian leader Vladimir Putin be trusted? BY MICHAEL WINES
RUSSIA
12 APRIL 24, 2017
Will President Donald Trump be able to work with Russian President
Vladimir Putin (left)?
INTERNATIONAL Foreign Policy • Map Skills
offer a chance for a “reset” of U.S.-Russia relations. But
some experts say the interests of the two countries are
very different. That may make it hard for the two strong-
willed leaders to cooperate without eventually clashing.
A LONG-STANDING RIVALRYRussia was once part of the Soviet
Union, the massive country that
was America’s rival during the
Cold War (1947-1991). During that
time, the two superpowers strug-
gled over which would dominate.
The Soviets and their allies were
trying to spread Communism
around the world. The U.S. and its
allies tried to spread democracy.
In 1962, tensions reached a
high point. During the Cuban
Missile Crisis that year, the U.S. and the Soviet Union
came to the edge of nuclear war. (See “Timeline: The U.S.
& Russia,” pp. 14-15.)
Over the next few decades, the fortunes of the two old
foes went in different directions. The U.S. economy
THE UNITED STATES AND RUSSIA do not have much
in common. The U.S. is the world’s oldest democracy. It
has a long history of defending the independence of
other nations. Russia has an authoritarian government
that clamps down on its critics. It recently invaded the
neighboring nation of Ukraine. For most of the past
century, the U.S. and Russia have
teetered between mutual mistrust
and planet-threatening nuclear
confrontation.
Today, Russia stands accused
of meddling in the 2016 U.S. pres-
idential election by hacking into
the emails of Democratic Party
officials. Yet since taking office,
President Donald Trump has
seemed set on forgetting the past.
He has talked of becoming friends
with Russia and its autocratic leader, Vladimir Putin.
Trump has praised Putin on Twitter, calling him “highly
respected” and “very smart.” Some of Trump’s other pub-
lic statements have also pleased Russia. He has said, for
example, that America’s commitment to defending its
European allies from hostile acts by
Russia may not be set in stone.
Putin has returned the favor,
describing Trump as “very
talented.” He also arranged praise
for him in Russia’s state-controlled
media. In phone calls after
Trump’s election, the two presi-
dents set an ambitious plan for
cooperation. They discussed
working together on terrorism,
Syria’s civil war, the Arab-Israeli
peace process, and the threat of
nuclear programs in Iran and
North Korea.
Such talk of teamwork is an
incredible turn of events. In recent
years, the relationship between the
U.S. and Russia had sunk very low.
Many experts feared that any new
misunderstanding could trigger an
international crisis, or worse.
Trump’s embrace of Putin could Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly praised U.S. President Donald Trump. But does Putin really want to improve relations with the U.S.?
13
The U.S. and Russia have teetered
between mutual mistrust and
planet-threatening nuclear confrontation.
GO TO JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM TO: View Leveled Text // Watch a Video // Download a Primary Source Activity
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14 APRIL 24, 2017
grew and prospered. The Soviet Union’s weakened. In
1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and broke up into 15
independent nations. (See “Mapping the Former Soviet
Union,” p. 17.) Russia was the largest and most powerful
of the former Soviet republics. It
seemed to be headed for democ-
racy. For a short time, it even
seemed like Russia and the U.S.
might become allies.
But that was not to be. Russia
had no experience with democ-
racy. (Autocratic czars, or
emperors, had ruled the nation for
350 years before the 1917 Commu-
nist revolution.) The 1990s were a
decade of chaos. Prices sky rocketed
and the economy crashed. Many
Russians were left in poverty and
lost faith in the idea of democracy.
Before the Soviet Union’s collapse, Putin worked for
that country’s spy agency, the KGB. In 1999, he came to
power in Russia, promising security and prosperity. By
then, many Russians welcomed the thought of a new
strongman leading them.
PUTIN’S RISE & RECENT TENSIONSSince then, Putin has become an all-powerful figure. He
has gradually eliminated any serious opposition. Life
has improved for many Russians, mainly because of
global demand for Russia’s oil. In many cities, a new
middle class can sip Starbucks lattes and buy Nike
sneakers. But more than a few of Putin’s critics and
political rivals have been imprisoned. In some cases,
they were killed in murders that
are still unsolved.
Under Putin, Russia continued
to have a frosty relationship with
the U.S. In 2014, the U.S. sup-
ported a revolution in Ukraine,
Russia’s neighbor. That revolt
overthrew a government that Rus-
sia was supporting. Russia then
invaded Ukraine and seized con-
trol of the Crimean Peninsula. (See
map, p. 17.)
U.S. President Barack Obama
and leaders of other Western
countries responded by imposing
economic sanctions (penalties) on Russia. Those sanc-
tions, together with the plummeting price of oil, caused
a sharp economic decline in Russia.
The U.S. and Russia have also clashed over Syria’s civil
war. The U.S. sent aid to the rebels fighting the Syrian
government. That angered Putin because Syria’s govern-
ment, led by brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad, is Russia’s
closest ally in the Middle East.
In 2015, Russia sent its military to Syria. There, Rus-
sian forces attacked the rebels and bombed civilian PH
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1917RUSSIAN REVOLUTION After a revolution topples Czar Nicholas II, Vladimir Lenin establishes a Communist state that becomes the Soviet Union. The U.S. doesn't formally recognize that country until 1933.
1939-1945WORLD WAR IIThe U.S. and the Soviet Union are allies in the war against Nazi Germany. American and Soviet leaders plan for postwar Europe, but the spirit of cooperation breaks down quickly after the war ends.
1947 THE COLD WARAs the Soviet Union installs Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, the U.S. pledges to protect all countries resisting Communism. An almost five-decade- long struggle ensues.
1962CUBAN MISSILE CRISISU.S. President John F. Kennedy learns that Soviet missiles are being installed in Cuba, bringing the U.S. and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war. After 13 days, the missiles are removed.
The U.S. & Russia
TIMELINE
Russia’s recent forcefulness has led
many people to conclude that
relations between the U.S. and Russia are
worse than they have been in decades.
JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM 15
areas. That helped Assad a great deal. He has since
gained the advantage in the civil war. The rebels are now
on the defensive.
A NEW COLD WAR OR A FRESH START?Russia’s recent forcefulness
has led many people to con-
clude that relations between
the U.S. and Russia are worse
than they have been in
decades. Some experts worry
that a mistake on either side
could spark a military con-
frontation.
“We are now in a new Cold
War that is more dangerous
than the [one before],” says
Stephen Cohen. He is a Rus-
sia scholar at Princeton
University in New Jersey.
President Trump has
repeatedly promised to
improve relations with Rus-
sia. But many experts say that
a long-lasting partnership
between the two countries is
unlikely. Aside from fighting
terrorism, “I’m not optimistic that the overlap of com-
mon interests with Russia is very big,” says Michael
McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia.
Consider the Arab-Israeli
conflict and the Iran nuclear
threat. Both have been men-
tioned by Trump and Putin as
possible areas of cooperation.
Iran is Israel’s sworn enemy.
Russia is an ally of Iran and
supplies weapons to it. The
U.S. and Trump, meanwhile,
have been critical of Iran and
supportive of Israel.
Trump and Putin are also
on opposite sides when it
comes to the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO).
The U.S. has long been
the leader of the 28-nation
military alliance. NATO is
dedicated to protecting the
freedom of Western Europe.
But Russia sees NATO as an
opponent. Some experts say
that Putin’s key goal is to
break up the NATO alliance
and drive the U.S. out of
Europe altogether.BE
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1985THAW IN RELATIONSThe Soviet Union’s new leader, Mikhail Gorbachev (above, right), moves to reform its economy and open up political debate. His friendship with U.S. President Ronald Reagan helps improve relations.
1991SOVIET COLLAPSE After uprisings sweep away Communist regimes in much of Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union disbands. An independent Russia chooses its first democratically elected president, Boris Yeltsin.
1999PUTIN ASCENDS TO POWERVladimir Putin is appointed president when Yeltsin resigns, then is elected to the post in 2000. Over time, Putin consolidates power, jailing opponents and limiting press freedoms.
Today FRIEND OR FOE?President Trump has said he wants to improve U.S. relations with Russia. But the effort could be complicated by the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
➤Turn to p. 21 for an interview about life in the Soviet Union.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin, riding horseback in 2010, enjoys projecting a tough-guy image.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Con-
gress are looking into Russia’s possible involvement and
whether the Trump campaign might have worked with
Russia during the election. As those inquiries continue,
Trump has stopped tweeting praise for Russia. Similarly,
The U.S. and Russia do
have common terrorist
enemies, such as ISIS. But
U.S. intelligence agen-cies are hesitant to share
information with Russian
officials. That is because
Russia is more likely to see
the U.S. as a target to be
spied on than an ally.
EXPECTATIONS VS. REALITYAny plans for closer U.S.-Russia ties have become more
complicated recently. American intelligence officials say
that Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential
election to improve Trump’s chances of winning. (See
“Did Russia Hack Our Election?” below.)
16 APRIL 24, 2017
INTERNATIONAL
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During the U.S. presidential race, the website WikiLeaks published thousands of emails belonging to Democratic National Committee (DNC) officials. The site allegedly obtained them from Russian hackers. The emails embarrassed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who was then in a close contest with Donald Trump.
Why would Russia
hack the emails?
U.S. intelligence agencies say that Russian hackers
broke into the DNC’s computer network, then shared the emails in an effort to influence the election. According to the FBI, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the hacking to increase Trump’s chances of winning.
Why would Putin
want Trump to win?
Putin dislikes Clinton and clashed with her during her time as U.S. Secretary of State. “He had a clear preference for the person running against the person he hated so much,” FBI Director
James Comey recently told Congress.
How is the U.S.
responding?
Congress and the FBI are now investigating the Russian hacking—and whether Trump’s
campaign staff may have played a role in it.
President Trump has said that the hacks had “absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election.” He has called the controversy “fake news.”
DID RUSSIA HACK OUR ELECTION?
Both President Trump and President Putin have tweeted about their hopes for better U.S.-Russia relations.
Trump and Clinton at a September debate
LATVIA
MoscowRiga
Vilnius Minsk
Kiev
Chisinau
Tbilisi
Yerevan
BakuAshgabat
Tashkent
Bishkek
Astana
KAZAKHSTAN
AZERBAIJAN
ARMENIA
BELARUS
LITHUANIA
ESTONIA
UKRAINE
CHINA
MONGOLIA
INDIAPAKISTAN
AFGHANISTAN
IRANIRAQ
SYRIA
TURKEY
POLANDGERMANY
FRANCE
FINLANDSWEDEN
NORWAY
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MOLDOVA
KYRGYZSTANGEORGIA
TAJIKISTANN
S
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S
Caspian Sea
Black Sea
Mediterranean Sea
Area of map
ASIA
EUROPE CRIMEA(annexed by RUSSIA
in 2014)
KALININGRAD(RUSSIA)
Former SovietUnion republic(until 1991)
Former SovietUnion border
National capital
Continent border
0
0 300 MI
500 KM
Caucasus U
ral M
ount
ains
Mountains
RUSSIATallinn
DushanbeDushanbe
EASTERNEUROPE
CENTRAL ASIA
AFRICA
LakeBalkhash
JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM 17
1. The Soviet Union was part of which continents? 2. Which mountain ranges form part of the
boundary between those continents? 3. Which was the largest Soviet republic? 4. Which republics bordered Afghanistan? 5. After the Soviet Union broke up, it became
how many separate countries? 6. What is the northernmost city on this map?
7. What is the name of the peninsula Russia annexed, or seized control of, in 2014?
8. In which direction would you travel to get from the city of Baku to the city of Astana?
9. What is the capital of the former Soviet republic that Russia invaded in 2014?
10. How many straight-line miles separate that city and Russia's capital?
Map Skills
CORE QUESTION What are some reasons the U.S. and Russia might have a hard time trusting each other? Consider both past and present events and cite the text.
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Russia’s news media has stopped complimenting Trump.
Fiona Hill is Trump’s Russia adviser. In what might be
a sign of where the relationship is headed, she has said
that renewed cooperation with Russia is not in the cards.
“The Russians will get giddy with expectations,” Hill
told The Atlantic magazine last fall. “And then they’ll be
dashed, like five minutes into the relationship.” As she
explained, “[That is] because the U.S. and Russia just
have a very hard time . . . being on the same page.”
If Hill is right, the friendship between Trump and
Putin could be over before it really gets going. ◆
Mapping the Former Soviet Union Before its collapse in 1991, the Soviet Union was a powerful country. It was made up of 15 republics, dominated by Russia.