Strategy on Russia

The West is not going to enter into confrontation with Russia–and this is obvious. Intelligent politicians there know that confrontation will kill off the feeble shoots of democracy in Russia, that the special services and the generals will once more come to power and remain in power for a long time and that even enfeebled and nearly ruined Russia will be able to cause the West much harm. Therefore the West (having probed into the Russian ruling circles' readiness to introduce serious democratic reforms and to translate into reality the principles of freedom and prosperity) realized that the Russian political system was still too shaky. In a country torn between the desire to turn back into the communist past and an understanding that this was no answer to its urgent problems the possibilities of positive shifts were negligible while the political system still too immature.

This means that the West is facing a problem of determining its policy towards a large and potentially strong country in which the social forces able to push the country closer to democracy and the market were still weak and unable to come to power which belonged to big bureaucrats underpinned by the power structures. Its economy is paralyzed by the unresolved question of ownership and its relation with the powers that be. This makes Russia a source of all sorts of disturbances ranging from spontaneous massive emigration to spontaneous inroads into what is believed to be the key regions (the Caucasus, the Caspian, and the Baltics). The above also offers a difficult problem: how to maintain normal working relations with Russia. Too much depends on the Kremlin intrigues rather than on an insignificant consensus therefore the West tends either to simplify the situation (an open confrontation) or to help bring to power friendlier and more predictable elements.

Test 4 usa in the modern system of international relations

Ex.1 Make the literary translation of the following text into Russian.

The Russian-American relations

The relations with the USA are a major priority of the Russian external policy. They are based upon the common understanding by the parties of the proximity of strategic interests of Russia and of the USA in questions of providing international security. The problematic questions should be decided on the basis of dialogue and aspiration of the parties to expanding spheres of consent of mutual understanding. Russia and the USA cherish their adherence to continuation of active and fruitful political dialogue on the entire range of bilateral, international and global problems.

The contacts on the highest level are of fundamental importance. The important role is played by the regular negotiations at the level of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Russia and the State Secretary of the USA, allowing to actively advance on a number of key directions. The treaty-legislative basis of the Russian-American relations is constantly being improved.

The new arrangements reflecting today's level of the relations between Moscow and Washington (about air communication, mutual legal assistance on criminal cases etc.), and also determining the legal status of new directions of bilateral cooperation have been worked out. The negotiations process on the problems of marine navigation, fishery in the Bering sea etc. is going on. Since 1991 over 200 Russian - American Intergovernmental and Interministerial agreements have been concluded.

The dialogue on international affairs is conducted on the entire range of problems, including the global challenges and problems of international security, and presumes close interaction within the framework of international forums, first of all in the UN and the “Big Eight”. Recently the questions of settlement of conflict situations in various areas of the world, including the Balkans, move to the central place. The Power Energetics action of the NATO against Yugoslavia has become a serious test for the Russian-American relations, by putting under threat the accumulated positive potential of bilateral cooperation.

The number of difficulties in Russia-USA dialogue is connected to their practice of the double standards concerning integrational processes in the CIS and human rights situation in the Baltic countries, with aspirations of Americans to insist on ex-territorial application of their internal legislative acts. In a dialogue with the USA on this and other sharp questions the Russian side maintains a basic course on protection of our interests without rolling down to confrontation.

The Russian-American dialogue on economic questions is actively conducted within the framework of international organizations and multilateral mechanisms (IМF,WBRD, the “Big Eight” etc.). Recently the circle of these mechanisms has extended at the expense of the introduction of Russia into the Parisian club of creditors and APEC. The economic relations between Russia and the USA are developing as a whole on ascending, and this is expressed in the growth of trade turnover, in expansion of the range and of geography of their business cooperation.

More than 80 % of the Russian exports to the USA consist of the raw material, including black and colour metals, precious and semi-precious jewels, combined precious stones, radioactive elements, fish and seafoods, products of non-norganic chemistry, fertilizers, mineral fuel. The largest positions of import from the USA — Air-technology, foodstuffs, electric equipment and electronics, means of transportation, tobacco products, pharmaceutical goods, plastic and products from them.

The State Register of Russia contains 3 thousand Russian-American joint ventures (17 % from total number of joint ventures). Main lines of business of the joint ventures — production and processing of petroleum, finance and credit sphere, mechanical engineering, conversion, transport, commercial mediatory and consultation services, production of agricultural products, construction materials, consumer goods. The greatest interest the American firms show to participation in development of oil and gas deposits, and also to cooperation in restoration of invalid chinks on the territory of Russia. The American firms and companies besides petroleum branch create joint ventures in mechanical engineering, chemical industry, conversion of defensive branches, medicine, food industry, transportation and other spheres. In the field of food industry the greatest activity is shown by such American companies, as “Philip Morris”, “Mars”, “PepsiCo”, “Coca Cola”. Interaction in struggle with the organized criminal structures becomes an important independent direction of bilateral cooperation with the USA.

Ex.2 Make up questions to each paragraph of the text.

Ex.3. Translate these texts into English in writing.