It was not the greatest speech and it was not the worst, but Vice President Joseph Biden’s declaration of principles on the U.S.-Russia relationship made during this weekend’s Munich security conference made clear that despite all the sabre rattling over the past weeks, the ball is now in Moscow’s court to show if they have any interest in “pressing the reset button” and start fresh with the new administration in Washington (read the transcript here).

In many ways, one could sense that the Americans are setting the stage for what may become severely diminished expectations for improvements in the relationship.  In a skillful manner, Biden presented Moscow with both an olive branch and Rooseveltian big stick, and etiher way, both seemed headed toward the maw of the Russian woodchipper. 

The olive branch was the unusually high level of rhetorical deference, as Biden’s speech seemed specifically tailored to soothe long-standing Russian concerns:

The United States rejects the notion that NATO’s gain is Russia’s loss, or that Russia’s strength is NATO’s weakness. The last few years have seen a dangerous drift in relations between Russia and the members of our Alliance.

It is time to press the reset button and to revisit the many areas where we can and should work together. Our Russian colleagues long ago warned about the rising threat from the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Today, NATO and Russia can and should cooperate to defeat this common enemy.

And then later came the candor of the big stick: