Obama's Win MeansU.S.-Russian Cooperation

Obama was elected as the new president of the United States and

Russia is looking forward to Russian-American cooperation.

Democratic Senator Barack Obama won the presidential elections in America. He is the first African-American to be elected president. Having won 338 votes, Obama has surpassed the Republican candidate McCain, who has already delivered his concession speech in Phoenix, Arizona, saying that he had called Obama to congratulate him on his election as the president of the United States.

The majority of the Russian experts believe that the results of the American presidential elections were predictable.

Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, compares Obama with the last general secretary of the communist party of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev: “Barack Obama’s policy will lead to the collapse of the United States of America, which will give Russia the opportunity to strengthen her position in the international market. The upcoming changes in America can be compared to the perestroika-era in Russia. In a democracy, the Americans entrusted their country to a person who will bring change–change that will strengthen Russia’s political influence.”

However, not all experts share this opinion. Most of them have a certain image of what the relationship between Russia and America should look like in the near future. In fact, the Russian government has repeatedly implied what the future relations between Russia and America would be. More details on this matter were given to the public by the president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev and Vice-President Vladimir Putin.

In an exclusive interview Vasili Lihachov, a member of the upper house of Russian Parliament, the Federation Council of Russia, elaborated on the key issues of the future of Russian-American relations:

“First of all, of course, we can only work together effectively, if both sides respect the norms and principles of the United Nations and international law, because both the United States and Russia are members of the UN which, as we know, is responsible for the preservation of world peace and international security.”

Moreover, Vasili Lihachov stressed that the globalized world is in need of ethical, commercial and economic cooperation between Moscow and Washington. During the interview Vasili Lihachov states that a change in legal and political relations between Russia and the United States is necessary: “Secondly, we need serious monitoring of mutual relations between the two countries. What I mean is, for example, the problems concerning the START II, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between Russia and the United States, as well as a number of other agreements that are valid until 2009 and 2010.”

“Thirdly, in the future, there will be full cooperation in providing financial, environmental and food security, with the still influential United States on one side and the fast-growing Russian influence on the other.”

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia has already started developing a plan on the question of bare spots in Russia that should be protected from nuclear testing.

Vasili Lihachov explains that having benefited from the world economic crisis, Russia will gain increasing influence around the world: “Russia will enter a multipolar world, in which each country respects the security of other countries, believing in international mutual understanding. Any difficulties that might occur would do so only because the United States would keep refusing to give up their leader position by discarding the neoconservatives’ concept of a unipolar world.”

According to Vasili Lihachov, these neoconservatives will definitely try to prove themselves during the new president’s term.

As to other subjects Russia and the United States are taking time out for now: “The discussions of the nuclear issue concerning Iran, North Korea, the Balkans and talks on various other subjects were postponed for now. However, after some time – in two or three months – after the new president is inaugurated, these subjects will be of interest again.”

A lot of Russian experts express their assumption that the new government isn’t interested in a close collaboration with Russia. Vasili Lihachov is “not too sure about this. The new government will have to make every effort to accomplish such tasks as strengthening the U.S. dollar and stabilizing his country’s financial situation. This way they will show that their policy is appropriate for an effective cooperation with Russia.”