U.S.-Russian relations have reached a stalemate since the crisis in Ukraine. Russia gained control of the Crimean Peninsula, a key Ukrainian port, at the outset of the conflict and refuses to back down in its support of pro-Russian separatists operating inside the country despite harsh opposition from the West.
Russia seems stuck in the past while other nations have moved on.
Many European, Asian, and South American countries have put war aside in favor of economic development. They have dealt successfully with the "US" versus "Them" paradigm and focused on rebuilding their economies. Germany, for instance, after two world wars, has built an economy that is the envy of the world, with Poland, Hungary, China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Brazil not far behind.
Russia, on the other hand, still distrusts the United States and Europe. According to most analysts, this distrust stems from former Soviet Bloc nations being inducted into N.A.T.O., among other concerns, after they gained independence. Meanwhile, Russia's economy takes a hit as Western countries impose hard-hitting sanctions for its involvement in the Ukrainian revolution.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
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