Obama Snub Won't Matter To Russia, Analysts Say
Canceling a summit with Vladimir Putin may not be enough to get back NSA leaker Edward Snowden and it could jeopardize other global conflicts that matter far more to the USA than they do Russia.
Despite Russia's relatively weak economy, deteriorating U.S.-Russian relations matter because the world's most expansive country borders Europe, the Middle East and China, areas where it can be "a huge spoiler and also a major help," says Ariel Cohen, a Russia expert at the Heritage Foundation.
"We should care (about the relationship) but also not allow Putin to walk all over us, and there should be consequences," Cohen says. "Russians are trying to benefit from economic relations (with the United States) and at the same time do things that are harmful to the U.S.-Russian relationship."
Andrew Weiss, a Russia expert in the Clinton White House who is now vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says the United States needs to focus on its own interests. Russians are more focused on relations with Europe and China and don't really care that much about what Americans think and do, Weiss says.
American leaders often don't understand "how little we matter to the Russian leadership," Weiss says. "That's a big part of the reason why there's so much enthusiasm in Russian political circles for America bashing and being more competitive with the United States. The relationship doesn't matter that much to them."
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http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/08/07/should-obama-punish-putin-over-snowden/2627849/
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