Tom Nichols, a professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, expressed optimism in an address Friday evening about U.S.-Russian relations and the possibility of the two countries cooperating on issues relating to nuclear weapons, terrorism, economic stability and development of democracy.
Nichols explained why he believed the United States and Russia were in conflict during the Cold War, why he thought they have now moved closer now closer but not close enough and how the two nations could improve ties and address mutual problems.
"The past is not prologue -- Russia is not the Soviet Union," he said. "Our relationship is not predicated on the same things it was predicated on."
Nichols, who is also a fellow in the International Security Program at the Harvard's John F. Kennedy School, gave the keynote address at the day-long U.S.-Russian Relations Symposium. The symposium, which mostly took place in Cabot Intercultural Center, also included two panels, a reception and a Russian-music performance.
The most important reason for Russo-American tension during the Cold War was ideology, he said; since the ideological difference no longer remains in place, the two countries can cooperate in areas of mutual interest.
"There is no longer any organic source of tension between the U.S., NATO or the Russian Federation," Nichols said, adding that "everyone suffered under the Soviet system."
Still, Nichols said, U.S. and Russian foreign policies of late have led to disagreements.
He called Russia "a large country with a bruised ego" and said that the United States' post-Cold War policies "have made things a little more difficult."
"There has been American meddling it what [the Russians] called their 'near-abroad' -- the post-Soviet space," he said, referring to American intervention in the Balkans and American declarations of having "vital interests" in Central Asia, near Russia.
"That's just palpable nonsense," he said. "The United States would not appreciate similar acts in the Western Hemisphere."
He specifically expressed disappointment with the handling of Russia policy by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, calling their policies inconsistent. He said both presidents would use positive rhetoric toward Russia while engaging in actions that greatly irritated its leaders, such as the Balkans intervention and the "very public" cancellation of the anti-ballistic missile treaty.
"I think inconsistent and heavy-handed American policy played into" a recent increase in Russian nationalism, he said.
Nichols did not lay all fault with the Americans. He also said ties between the United States and Russia were hurt by its "thuggery and bullying" -- referring to Russia's cutting off natural gas supplies to European countries, its invasion of Georgia and its recent alleged intervention in Ukrainian politics.
"This is not the behavior of a mature superpower," he said.
Still, Nichols characterized Russo-American relations as "more bickering than a significant source of conflict."
He went on to discuss issues on which America and Russia can cooperate, the most important of which he said is strategic nuclear reductions. The second biggest issue is nuclear nonproliferation, Nichols said, explaining that the Soviet Union was proactive with respect to the issue, actually having a falling-out with China over that country's proliferation.
Russia has an interest in nonproliferation because proliferators are closer to Russia than they are to the United States and hate Russia as much as they dislike America, according to Nichols.
Development of democracy, economic stability and terrorism represent other areas where cooperation should be stronger, he said.
"There is a stronger common interest to cooperate on terrorism than any two countries in the world," he said. "They should be de facto allies on this issue."
In terms of democratic reforms, Nichols argued that the Russian people would demand more freedoms in the near future.
Meanwhile, Nichols said, Americans should conserve oil, decreasing demand for Russian fossil fuels and thus forcing Russia to operate with an industry-based economy, instead of an export-driven economy; the latter form does not foster political development, he explained.
American diplomacy should be "quieter but firmer" and should avoid public snubs of Russian officials or very visible intrusions into Russian affairs, Nichols said, saying diplomacy under Bush as "too much through a megaphone."
He also said the two countries reducing their nuclear arsenals would build cooperation and trust.
Finally, Nichols said the two countries should come to an agreement and that NATO would stop expanding if Russia stopped its public "fencing" -- threatening actions he said Russia knows the United States cannot carry out, like building a naval base in Cuba.
"Cold War's over," he said. "That thing's done. We can do this."
The International Relations (IR) program and the IR Director's Leadership Council; the Department of German, Russian and Asian Languages and Literature; the Sigma Iota Rho honor society; the Pi Sigma Alpha honor society; the Department of Political Science; the Russian Circle and the Institute for Global Leadership's Alliance Linking Leaders in Education and the Services (ALLIES) sponsored the symposium.
