About the Project
The essence and thrust of our project is evident from its very name: America-Russia: From Confrontation to Alliance.
Today, mentioning the word “alliance” with reference to U.S.-Russian relations jars the ear of only the most ardent supporters of confrontation between America and Russia, as in the all but forgotten days of the Cold War. Unfortunately, many such people still have influence in both our nations. One would have thought the American tragedy of “9-11- should have taught them, informing them that the times of the Cold War era belong irrevocably to the past. Russians and Americans now face a common enemy: Islamic terrorism (which, incidentally, struck Russia long before it did America).
We share - as opposed to the Europeans - a common approach to combating this phenomenon; a common aspiration to eliminate threats to our present-day civilization: regional conflicts, the uncontrolled proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, illicit drugs and the spread of AIDS, among challenging issues. We also share a common belief that one of the best guarantees for a stable world order is democracy. All of this is embodied not only in politicians’ speeches, but also within a collaborative framework strengthening bilateral relations, and above all within the framework of the anti-terrorist coalition.
But no sooner does the terrorist threat level fall do “miscommunications” and “misunderstandings” begin to crop up anew among people of both nations and at every level of government: in politics, America’s reproachful words and criticism about the Russian government’s “deficiencies in democratization” clash with Russia’s rejection of the American-style export of democracy; in the business sector, interpretations of the Yukos affair are at odds. There are many such issues. Surely, these same people cannot be right who contend that the recent alliance and cooperation between Russia and the United States is nothing more than a temporary phenomenon, taking place during a flare-up of opposition to Islamic terrorism, similar to the collective effort to oppose Nazism during World War II.
We don’t think so. The commonalities uniting our two countries are much more profound than those characteristics which separate us: a firm resolve to confront Islamic terrorism, a strategic interest in nurturing our energy dialogue and the aspiration to maintain stability and democratic order throughout the world, despite Russia’s history of democracy being much shorter than America’s, or the necessity for Russia to continue to develop it, much like many other countries around the world. What’s more, Russia’s stability and future prospects for democracy are very much tied to its relations with America. For sure, those who would jettison democracy as a viable option for Russia’s future are doing their utmost to scar America’s image. The same is happening in America with respect to Russia.
This is why we consider it so important to discuss in a serious forum pressing issues concerning our countries’ bilateral relations and the positions that experts and analysts make. Most importantly, this discussion must take place in a constructive, cordial fashion. Thus, we are striving to make room on our site for analysts who at a minimum declare as their goal the aspiration to work toward forming a stable alliance between Americans and Russians, between Washington and Moscow. Our objective is to create not only another expert discussion forum, but also a kind of reality – even if only virtual – exemplifying constructive, harmonious relations between our two nations.
A special feature of the new site includes the active backing of cooperative business ventures undertaken between Russia and the United States. Unfortunately, our countries’ economic ties today are tenuous at best, and represent one of the major causes for instability and unpredictability in our relations. We intend to use our site to publicize concrete business propositions originating in both countries, and, if possible, create conditions necessary for locating interested partners.
Our site also serves as a source of information on where and when important political, economic and cultural conferences, forums, seminars and other events concerning U.S.-Russian relations are taking place.
It is symbolic that this project should commence on the eve of the 60th anniversary of our common victory over fascism. It serves as one more forceful reminder of our allied past. It also serves to guide our alliance in the future.
