Russia: Not Exactly Born-Again Global Citizen

While the last few weeks may have been spent trying to find the “reset” button, at least on the part of the US, this week has been about to what era Russia seems intent on resetting relations. That is, to the Cold War. Jane’s Intelligence Weekly notes that Russia’s decision to put two of its submarines off of the east coast of the United States could be serious enough to “set back hopes of rapprochement.”

Meanwhile, the Jamestown Foundation is reporting that Russia allowed and possibly invited a “serious” Iranian delegation to meet in Abkhazia in order to facilitate “economic cooperation with Iran”. Official sources are mum on the “secret” talks and the visit; however, it might bear noting, as Jamestown has, that:

Abkhazia is home to several Soviet-era nuclear facilities, most importantly the Vekua Institute of Physics and Technology (SIPT) in Sukhumi, which remains outside Georgia’s effective control and according to some sources is still operational. Georgia has long requested that appropriate international bodies conduct a comprehensive inventory of the Sukhumi facilities.

Interestingly, this all seems well-timed to coincide with the first anniversary of the Georgia conflict, and as such, Russia has mobilized troops and closed off all access to the territories it annexed from Georgia, which may well also serve to keep prying eyes out of the region and away from any meetings with Iranian officials. Stratfor seems to think it is indeed a distraction.

So once again we have a Russia far from turning over a new leaf, doing what it has historically done: saying nice things and twisting the knife yet again. Along with Russian naval exercises in the Atlantic and with countries like Cuba and Venezuela, Russia has become more aggressive in the air, as well. The incidence of slight incursions of NATO air space by Russian bombers has increased, as Russia resumes its Cold War-era bomber patrols, and has all-but strafed US aircraft carriers with its fighters on numerous occasions over the past few years, the latter forcing US fighters to intercept the Russian aircraft.

There is also the matter of the Arctic, which holds oil-rich territory Russia is currently disputing with Canada, the US, Norway, and Denmark. Russia plans to engage in paratrooper exercises in the region, according to Jane’s, which believes it may well “increase tensions in the region significantly”.

All of this of course, is far larger in scope than the depressing assessment by an American Vice President about Russia’s current economic status. This appears to be simply more of the old Russia doing what it has been doing for generations. And, once the West takes notice and responds, Russia will report in its state-run media that the world is against it, everybody hates it, and it has no other choice but to eat worms. And weaponize Iran and other dangerous international actors.

Martin Kite-Powell interned this summer as a Research Assistant with the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based trans-Atlantic foreign policy think tank which focuses primarily on democracy, human rights, and international security. He has a degree in International Relations with various honors and recognitions and spends much of his time traveling between Dallas and Washington D.C. He is a member of the World Affairs Councils of DFW and Washington, D.C. and the United Nations Association of America. This article was originally posted at the Henry Jackson Society website in August.