"Governor Romney, when asked who the United States' biggest geopolitical threat was, you said Russia." President Barack Obama said these words to opposing candidate, Mitt Romney, just last October in a debate. President Obama ushered in this statement as a way to manifest the then thought, "flawed answer", of Romney. The President carried on to say "The 1980's are now calling for their foreign policy back. The Cold War has been over for 20 years. Governor Romney, you seem to want to import the foreign policy of the 1980's." I, along with many other viewers at the time, believed Obama made a very good point in this comment, making the contender Romney appear unquestionably foolish on his ideas regarding US foreign affairs. By acknowledging the events of today and observing the outcome between Russia and the United States over the past few months, Obama is the one who now looks incredibly hypocritical. As for Romney, he now appears "not as naive" as the President portrayed him to be. Let me explain my point.
Ever since the Cold War disintegrated in the early 1990's, the United States and Russia have enjoyed a relatively peaceful relationship. I would describe them as neither friends nor foes. Up until a few months ago, these two world
superpowers have appeared to be out of each others ways. This all changed when the Syrian civil war began in March 2011. This conflict between the Al-Assad regime and opposition rebel forces has escalated to the point where foreign assistance from world military powers has become increasingly a realistic option. The United States has just recently approved spending to fund and arm the Syrian opposition forces with guns and "light weaponry". The Al-Assad regime has been strong allies with Putin and the Russians for some time now. Due to the United States' meddling in the affairs of the Syrian civil war, Russia has now been stimulated to show even stronger support for the present day Syrian government. The conflict of the Syrian civil war has shown to be a catalyst for what could be the ruining of American and Russian diplomacy.
Former NSA intelligence officer, Edward Snowden, took a huge risk when he decided to expose the expanding surveillance programs of the United States federal government. In yet another scandal plaguing the Obama administration, very few people could have predicted that Snowden, searching for asylum to escape federal charges for "violating the 1917 Espionage Act", could have sparked another event that has hurt American-Russian foreign relations. Countries like Venezuela, Cuba, and Ecuador showed possible support and interest for providing a safe haven for the NSA intelligence whistleblower. Stranded in a Moscow airport for over a month, Snowden was unsure of his future, most likely fearing for his life, and hoping for a pardon by longtime Russian president, Vladmir Putin. Russia, angered by US intervention in Syria, recently granted Snowden asylum for 1 year. Yet another blow to the already damaged diplomatic ties between the Kremlin and the White House. President Obama also has announced that he has cancelled his visit to meet with Putin next month. The cause of this cancellation can be summed up in the recent remarks of United States Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), "Vladmir Putin is behaving like a 'schoolyard bully'".
By observing what has occurred in the ensuing months, the tables seemed to have turned on what was once seen as wise comments made by the President in a debate with Romney in October of 2012. It seems as if President Obama has "answered the call" from the 1980's. He is showing many similarities to the foreign policy of the Cold War era. The reality of today appears to be quite contradictory to the words of the President back in his campaign for reelection. The Syrian civil war, along with Snowden finding asylum in Russia, has mounted great tensions between Russia and the United States. The recent decision by President Obama to bypass his attendance of the US-Russian political summit next month has shown this to be quite evident. Lets just hope this does not escalate to a "Cold War sequel".
