Two Power Houses in a Powerless Land: Russia and United States

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Two Power Houses in a Powerless land.
In April 2009, United States president Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev grabbed attention in the London G20 summit by saying that they would give US -Russia relation a fresh start. They stressed that the United States and Russia will now focus on mutual interest. After being invited to Russia a few months after the G20 summit President Obama and Russian President Medvedev announced the Obama–Medvedev Commission to improve communication and cooperation between the United States and Russia.
Developments between the two countries progressed after the 2009 G20 summit as well. In fact, during the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Summit, US President Barack Obama was overheard on camera assuring Russian President Medvedev that he will have “more flexibility” in his second term, to which Medvedev replied, “I will transmit this information to Vladimir”. Although, this was in regards to anti-missile defense, it clearly showed the calm relation to happen in Obama’s second term.
However, things haven’t gone according to plan. In recent months after Obama’s start of his second term, relations have degraded rather than improving. The fight for power betweenIt started with Edward Snowden leaking classified documents, and lastly being granted asylum in Russia. The relations intensified when the nations had different stand points about the situation in Syria. The war in Syria has had a significant corrosive effect on the Relations between the United States and Russia. IN regards to Syria, the United States has a very negative track record with them. Back in 2002, the United States included Syria in a list of state that make up an “axis of evil” which was first listed by President Bush. The two nations pa...

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...ary power to influence the decisions made not only by the Assad Regime in Syria but also to influence the likes of Israel and Saudi Arabia as she can have greater advantage in the future by having better relations with these nations. However, Putin’s Russa stopped all attempts made by the United States to make any intervention in Syria. On 19 July, 2013 Russia, for the third time, vetoed against the United Nations Resoltution that would have punished the Syrian government with economic sanctions for failing to carry out a peace plan. This shows the role of how power influences between the two nations.
On 18 April 2013 American allies Britain and France provided letters to the United Nations claiming possession of evidence that chemical weapons have been utilized multiple times in the time ncluding in and around the cities of Aleppo, Homs and possibly Damascus.

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