Obama’s Foreign Policy toward Russia: Continuity or Change?

The complex relationship between Washington and Moscow derives its tension from the ideologically antagonistic past and the strategically uncertain future. At the end of the Cold War, due to such factors as globalization, change was rapid beyond the domestic realms of both countries, reshaping the political landscape and the nature of international threats. This stipulated the mending of the uncooperative continuity between Moscow and Washington. President Obama has reached out to Russia with his ‘reset’ endeavour, and before long encountered difficulties that stem from the inherent ideological and strategic continuity. Cooperation has nonetheless been made possible in a number of important areas of the relationship, namely in arms control, anti-terrorism, and a change of political rhetoric to more cordial tones. With the closing of President Obama’s first term in office, the U.S.-Russian diplomatic ‘reset’ may not be an overhaul, but it is a start that can be built upon.