U.S. Policy Toward Putin's Russia

Winston Churchill famously described Russia as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma," but less well-known is what he said next. He said, "But perhaps there is a key. And that key is Russian national interest." The problem is that are not dealing with the interests of the Russian people. Instead, we are dealing with the interests of Vladimir Putin. Putin has not demonstrated much interest in cooperating with the United States. In fact, many of his policies are directly undermining America-from selling advanced weapons to Iran to destabilizing our allies by sending waves of Syrian refugees, over several million now, across their borders. In addition, Russia's propaganda machine, RT television, broadcasts a constant stream of disinformation about the United States, the U.K., and other events happening in the world. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, we have been forced to increase our military presence in Europe. Yet, in this environment, Putin continues to escalate, repeatedly sending Russian warplanes to buzz U.S. ships and planes in international waters.