Novosti, Russia

Anti-Russian Policy Will Not Change with New President

By Sergei Zelentsov

Translated by Ethan Kirk

January 31, 2007

Russia - Novosti - Original Article (Russian)

The result of elections in the United States will not affect the policies of the country with regard to Russia, feel experts interviewed by RIA Novosti.

”Any American president would not love Russia and would be active act against it, I am sure,” said Director of the USA and Canada Institute Viktor Kremenyuk.

"The Anti-Russian policy of the United States will remain, in any case, irrespective of who came to power - the Democrats or the Republicans,” he told RIA Novosti, commenting on the decision by former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to withdraw from the presidential race in the United States and to endorse Senator John McCain, who is known for his rigid stance against Russia.

Kremenyuk said that "only McCain, in contrast to other candidates, has clearly stated his position with regard to Russia - to kick it out of every possible organization, beginning with the Group of Eight, and to start something like a policy of containment for Russia.

Kremenyuk also believes that the Democrats have a better chance to win the election. "Bush has done nothing to help the Republicans win the White House again, so that the Democrats have every reason to believe that they have the upper hand in the upcoming presidential election," he said.

The head of the Institute of Strategic Assessments, Alexander Konovalov, believes that the USA policy towards Russia will not undergo drastic changes.

"With regard to Russia, it will be what it has been," he said, adding that the policy against our country will be primarily determined by the internal situation in the United States.

"If the tax and domestic politics cause any friction and disagreement between Democrats and Republicans, the foreign policy views of the two parties have always been similar; it has been a unified policy of the ruling class and the American administration, not the policy of one leader," the expert said.

"I will in no way be distressed by McCain coming to power. A much more serious problem is the crisis of American securities markets and how this will reverberate in our economy," he said.

Konovalov believes that the victory of a Democrat candidate in the presidential election in the United States doesn’t mean "the possibility of improving relations with Russia,” but on the contrary may lead to further deterioration of.

"We always want democrat president because we think he will be more liberal.  But never with the Democrats were results ever achieved," said the head of the Institute of Strategic Assessments.

"Remember how we had the popular, particularly among women, John Kennedy, and that when he was in power we had the Caribbean Crisis (Translator’s note-Cuban Missile Crisis). Then came Richard Nixon, hawk of hawks, but with him began the process of limiting strategic weapons. After that was Jimmy Carter, definitely a Democrat, but with him the process of arms control totally collapsed. Later was a Republican, Ronald Reagan, with whom we signed the first agreement, the basis of arms control today, "- said the expert.

CLICK HERE FOR RUSSIAN VERSION