RUSSIA. Friend, Enemy, or Frenemy?

Transcription

1 RUSSIA Friend, Enemy, or Frenemy? INTERNATIONAL Foreign Policy Map Skills 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 Will President Donald Trump be able to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin (left)? 12 APRIL 24, 2017

2 PAGE 12: SEAN MCCABE (PHOTO ILLUSTRATION); IVAN SEKRETAREV/POOL/REUTERS (PUTIN); JIM LO SCALZO/POOL/GETTY IMAGES (TRUMP); JONATHAN IRISH/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINES/ GETTY IMAGES (CAPITOL); ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES (RUSSIAN FLAG); TTSTUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (AMERICAN FLAG); PAGE 13: TIM EAGAN/POLITICALCARTOONS.COM (CARTOON) 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. presidential election by hacking into the s 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 public 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 presidents 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 The U.S. and Russia have teetered between mutual mistrust and planet-threatening nuclear confrontation. 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 strongwilled leaders to cooperate without eventually clashing. A LONG-STANDING RIVALRY Russia was once part of the Soviet Union, the massive country that was America s rival during the Cold War ( ). During that time, the two superpowers struggled 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 ) Over the next few decades, the fortunes of the two old foes went in different directions. The U.S. economy Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly praised U.S. President Donald Trump. But does Putin really want to improve relations with the U.S.? GO TO JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM TO: View Leveled Text // Watch a Video // Download a Primary Source Activity 13

3 TIMELINE The U.S. & Russia 1917 RUSSIAN 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 WORLD WAR II The 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 THE COLD WAR As the Soviet Union installs Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, the U.S. pledges to protect all countries resisting Communism. An almost five-decadelong struggle ensues CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS U.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. 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 democracy. 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 democracy. (Autocratic czars, or emperors, had ruled the nation for 350 years before the 1917 Communist 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 TENSIONS Since then, Putin has become an all-powerful figure. He has gradually eliminated any serious opposition. Life has improved for many Russians, mainly because of 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. 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. supported a revolution in Ukraine, Russia s neighbor. That revolt overthrew a government that Russia was supporting. Russia then invaded Ukraine and seized control 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 sanctions, 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 government, 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, Russian forces attacked the rebels and bombed civilian PHOTO 12/ UIG VIA GETTY IMAGES (WORLD WAR II); RALPH CRANE/LIFE MAGAZINE/ THE LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES (CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS) 14 APRIL 24, 2017

4 1985 THAW IN RELATIONS The 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 SOVIET 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 PUTIN ASCENDS TO POWER Vladimir Putin is appointed president when Yeltsin resigns, then is elected to the post in 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. BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES (REAGAN & GORBACHEV); ANATOLY SAPRONENKO/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (TANKS); STEVO VASILJEVIC/REUTERS (BILLBOARD); ALEKSEY DRUZHININ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (VLADIMIR PUTIN) 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 conclude 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 confrontation. We are now in a new Cold War that is more dangerous than the [one before], says Stephen Cohen. He is a Russia scholar at Princeton University in New Jersey. President Trump has repeatedly promised to improve relations with Russia. But many experts say that a long-lasting partnership between the two countries is unlikely. Aside from fighting Russian leader Vladimir Putin, riding horseback in 2010, enjoys projecting a tough-guy image. terrorism, I m not optimistic that the overlap of common 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 mentioned 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. Turn to p. 21 for an interview about life in the Soviet Union. JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM 15

5 INTERNATIONAL The U.S. and Russia do have common terrorist enemies, such as ISIS. But U.S. intelligence agencies 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. REALITY Any 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.) Both President Trump and President Putin have tweeted about their hopes for better U.S.-Russia relations. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Congress 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, DID RUSSIA HACK OUR ELECTION? During the U.S. broke into the DNC s presidential race, the website WikiLeaks published thousands of s belonging to Democratic National Committee (DNC) officials. The site allegedly obtained them from Russian hackers. The s embarrassed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who was then in a close contest with Donald Trump. Why would Russia hack the s? U.S. intelligence agencies say that Russian hackers computer network, then shared the s 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 Trump and Clinton at a September debate 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. PAGE 16: VIA TWITTER (TWEETS); DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES (TRUMP & CLINTON); PAGE 17: JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN (MAP) 16 APRIL 24, 2017

6 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. FINLAND SWEDEN Tallinn LITHUANIA FRANCE Moscow Riga Vilnius Minsk KALININGRAD (RUSSIA) GERMANY RUSSIA POLAND BELARUS UKRAINE 500 KM MONGOLIA Lake Balkhash ea GEORGIA ARMENIA Ashgabat Yerevan SYRIA nean Sea 0 ns Area of map 300 MI UZBE Tashkent K Bishkek TURKMENIS ISTAN TAN KYRGYZSTAN Baku Dushanbe Black Sea Tbilisi TURKEY 0 CENTRAL ASIA C a s p ia CRIMEA iterra Continent border KAZAKHSTAN Caucas Mountaius ns (annexed by RUSSIA in 2014) Med National capital Astana Chisinau MOLDOVA ASIA Former Soviet Union border Kiev EASTERN EUROPE EUROPE (until 1991) n tains LATVIA Former Soviet Union republic Ural Mo u NORWAY ESTONIA CHINA TAJIKISTAN AZERBAIJAN IRAQ AFRICA AFGHANISTAN IRAN PAKISTAN INDIA NW N SW NE E W S SE Map Skills 1. T he 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? 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 GO TO JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM TO: Download Skills Sheets // 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? 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. 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. Play the Mapman Game JUNIOR.SCHOLASTIC.COM 17