A Foreign Policy Disappointment

There are many reasons to distance oneself from the autocratic president of Russia. Granting asylum to Edward Snowden isn’t one of them.

One could already feel it in the air — but it was surprising nonetheless. Obama, who said at his inauguration that he wanted dialogue with everyone — especially with America’s enemies — canceled a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The reason: Russia granted asylum to American whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

Now, there may be many reasons not to cozy up to the autocratic ruler in Moscow, and even the German government could also benefit from a less cozy relationship with Putin, but asylum for Edward Snowden isn’t one of them.

It almost seems as if the building blocks of the Cold War have been revived — just without the old clash of ideologies.

But that’s not the whole story. The two nations are now dependent on one another. Without Russia’s support, America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan will be more difficult; without some basic agreement of both, the U.N. Security Council would permanently regress to the stalemate of the Cold War days. Iron curtains aren’t compatible with global trade. Neither side can really want that.

So it’s probably not beneficial to America for Obama to sever bonds with Russia. Obviously, the United States considers Russia’s granting Snowden asylum to be a serious slap in the face and now sees itself forced to make a gesture demonstrating its resolve. It’s all about credibility. But that’s precisely what Obama stands to lose if he continues hounding Snowden, for one, but mainly because of the facts Snowden made public.

A president who wanted to distance himself from his predecessor on foreign policy is deepening the chasms that his predecessor dug. Snubbing Putin is one more reason for disappointment with the Obama administration’s foreign policy.