2009 - The Reset
Relations between the former Cold War foes, badly damaged by Russia's August 2008 war with pro-Western Georgia, improved during Obama's first term. Many Americans had been fed up with military and political failures and lost wars, so they believed the political promise to rid them of the disillusionment of the presidency of George Bush Jr. and super-hawk Dick Cheney. Major improvement in relations with Russia was an important part of the program that Washington referred to as 'resetting the US-Russia relationship'. 'Reset' presupposes the discarding of the burden of the past to get away from the obsolete political dogmas.
Obama made better relations with Russia a cornerstone of his foreign policy. In March 2009, barely six months after the Russian agression against Georgia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with a gift meant to underscore the Obama administration's commitment to reset relations with Russia. It was a button with "reset," supposedly translated into Russian. When presented with the button, Foreign Minister of Russia S. Lavrov said "You got it wrong. It should be 'perezagruzka.' This says 'peregruzka,' which means 'overcharged.'" Since 2009, the positive atmosphere resulting from the “reset” of bilateral relations led to an unprecedented advance in economic cooperation between the two countries.
In April 2009, Presidents Obama and Medvedev agreed to the formation of the Bilateral Presidential Commission (BPC). The Bilateral Presidential Commission is the premier forum for cooperation between the United States and Russia, and provides a framework for dialogue and the identification of new opportunities based on our shared interests. The Bilateral Presidential Commission’s 21 working groups continue to produce concrete, substantive results that impact not only our governments but also regular people living in both countries. Its ongoing expansion – including recently-added working groups on innovation, rule of law and military technical cooperation – and new initiatives demonstrate that vast bureaucracies were learning the habits and recognizing the benefits of continuing cooperation in between presidential and other high-level meetings.
The BPC continues to function as the vehicle that provides regular attention to the biggest mutual policy objectives via a transparent and structured mechanism. It brings together over 40 U.S. and Russian agencies, as well as numerous NGOs and businesses. The BPC’s principal objectives include the strengthening of strategic stability, international security, economic well-being, and the development of ties between Russians and Americans. Its core principles include a focus on common interests, a two-way partnership and exchange, a frank dialogue respectful of differences, and the completion of tangible results. The BPC aims to institutionalize the government-to-government and people-to-people aspects of the bilateral relationship. Increased participation by the non-government sphere – involving private enterprise, NGOs, and other elements of civil society in both countries – is and will remain an important goal of the Commission.
The United States is working vigorously to expand bilateral trade and investment cooperation to benefit both Russia and the United States. From 2009 to 2011, U.S. exports to Russia rose 57 percent and total U.S.-Russia trade increased over 80 percent. U.S. companies reported numerous major business deals in Russia in 2012, including the ExxonMobil-Rosneft deal in May for exploration in the Arctic shelf, Boeing’s $15 billion in aircraft sales in Russia over the past five years, and Ex-Im Bank’s June 2012 MOU signing with Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, to support up to $1 billion in exports to Russia.
The New START Treaty was signed on April 8, 2010, and entered into force on February 5, 2011, and demonstrates U.S. and Russian leadership in reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the world. New START reduces the limits on the number of U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arms by a third and restores important verification and inspection measures. On April 13, 2010, the two countries also signed a Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement, which will enable the disposal of 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium on each side, or enough for about 17,000 nuclear weapons. On January 11, 2011, the U.S. and Russia concluded an agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation, establishing a legal basis for cooperation and expanding opportunities for U.S. companies in Russia.
In December 2011, culminating 18 years of hard work and dedication, Russia was invited to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), a major accomplishment that will bring the world’s largest economy outside the WTO into the organization and bind it to a set of rules governing trade, as well as a dispute-resolution mechanism to enforce those rules. To ensure that U.S. companies and workers can take full advantage of Russia’s WTO membership, Congress enacted legislation to extend permanent normal trade relations to Russia.
The two countries have worked together to prevent Iran and North Korea from pursuing nuclear weapons programs. They crafted United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929, which introduced the most comprehensive set of multilateral sanctions to date on Iran. In 2010 Russia canceled the planned sale of an advanced air-defense system (the S-300) to Iran, further advancing our non-proliferation aims. The U.S. also worked closely with Russia to pass United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874, which strengthens financial and arms embargoes on North Korea.
The United States and Russia were increasing people-to-people connections through education, culture, sports, media, and other professional interactions. The objective of these efforts is to promote the mutual understanding required to build lasting ties between the two peoples. In the field of cultural and public diplomacy, the “American Seasons” program in Russia brought a wide spectrum of cultural offerings to the Russian public. In 2012, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra completed its first tour to Russia in more than two decades. Also in 2012, U.S. audiences applauded the return of the Bolshoi Ballet to the Kennedy Center and enjoyed the Mariinsky Ballet’s performances of “Cinderella”. The “Russian Seasons” cultural program in America included the bicentennial celebration of the founding of the Russian settlement at Fort Ross, California. Bilateral agreements have also been concluded on cooperation in intercountry adoptions as well as liberalization of practices governing entry visas.
the ‘reset’ between Obama was with Medvedev – not with Putin. Once Putin came back in 2012, the ‘reset’ was over. He didn't want to cooperate with the United States.
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