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Setting the Record Straight

Recognize Differences, But Engage

posted on 04/25/08

“Washington ought to ignore the inevitable op-ed urgings to ‘explain ourselves better’ to Moscow; or to be careful not to ‘feed the Kremlin’s paranoia’ or ‘push it into the corner’; or to be therapeutic and gentle in light of Russia’s traumatic historic memories; or to constantly reinvent progressively larger and juicier ‘carrots’ for the Kremlin–as if the street-smart and tough-as-nails former KGB men who run Russia today (and sit on its fabulous wealth, to boot) could be ‘induced’ to deviate from their vision of what is good for Russia (and themselves) by Washington’s proffers."
–Leon Aron, director, Russian studies, American Enterprise Institute, Russian Outlook, January 16, 2008

VS.

“Opponents of engagement would prefer that disputes form the basis of U.S.-Russia relations an unstable foundation, upon which sustainable cooperation, peace and security cannot be built. But the proper approach is to recognize these differences, not ignore them, and fully engage Russia. We should abandon incendiary rhetoric, avoid lecturing and move away from personality-driven policies. We can recognize Russia’s shortcomings, but this should not preclude us from strong diplomatic engagement in pursuit of our own interests. We must work together to manage regional conflicts in North Korea and Iran. It’s doubtful we can solve these problems without Russian help.”
–Lee H. Hamilton, director, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; former chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee, keynote address at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace event on ”200 Years of U.S.-Russian Diplomatic Relations,” September 24, 2007