May 6, 2008 By Robert Amsterdam

The Two-Headed Beasts of U.S.-Russia Relations

twoheaded050608.jpgOne appears to be liberal leaning and pro-engagement, the other more hawkish and confrontational. Both men will be vying for influence over foreign policy in coming years, seeking to impose their different visions of international politics, and potentially transforming U.S.-Russia relations at a critical historical juncture. No, actually I am not talking about Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin – I think you can find a surplus of profoundly unexciting articles in the papers today letting you know that Putin “is still in charge” and that Medvedev is likely to remain in his shadow. (Nevermind for the moment that I am a little too cynical to accept such a neat little presentation … everyone thought Putin was a “puppet” at first too…) The other two-headed beast is far from the Kremlin: Robert Kagan and Stephen Biegun, the ying and the yang of Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain’s team of advisors on Russia policy. If McCain is able to win the election, which seems less and less impossible as the once superior Democratic candidates continue their tedious mutual destruction, then we will have to pay very close attention to which of these two policy men ends up winning over McCain’s ear.