© Getty Images / Tim Graham
A group of 103 international-relations scholars has called for change in America's course on Russia in an open letter titled 'It's time to rethink our Russia policy.' One is tempted to respond simply, "No sh*t."
More appropriately, such a call might have been a surprise,
but it has been needed since about 1992.
It's not only the text that's comment-worthy; the group of signatories is of some interest, too. Some of the statement's backers possess a sound record of sincere support for a realist or at least reasonable American policy towards Russia. Indeed, at least one of them, Dmitry Simes, has been accused of being a Kremlin asset in the Soviet vigilante style of US media copiously on display during the Russiagate hysteria.
However, many are partly responsible for the sad state of US-Russian relations in having supported some of the worst aspects of America's Russia policy. Some are only narrowly or casually familiar with Russian politics, and many are compromised by the specific nature of their deep involvement in American politics.
Consequently, their collective statement has both weak and strong points. Most disappointingly,
the latter do not go far enough. Therefore, it's unlikely their call for a new Russia policy will impart the necessary drive for a significant revamp of US policy and will have little demonstrable effect on US-Russian relations.
It will have equally limited impact on the already hyper-cynical Russian elite's view of the American policymaking circle's own cynicism, biases, insufficient knowledge, and considerable Russophobia.Its most positive effect may be in preventing the complete monopolization by the most jaundiced perception of Russia, gradually establishing a stranglehold on US discourse about Russia. But let's review the statement's actual content. Unfortunately, one has the sinking feeling, or at least fear, that the appearance of the letter in the midst of the US presidential election campaign reveals that
the authors are issuing a subtle rebuke to President Donald Trump, for such a statement should have come during every previous US administration.
Comment: According to Russia's health minister, the ministry never made the offer in the first place.
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