Political analysts unanimously agree that the first year of Barack Obama’s work in office had a positive effect on bilateral relations between Russia and the United States.

According to Vyacheslav Nikonov, head of the Politics Foundation, the climate in the relationship “noticeably improved.”

Reviving the relationship with Russia is considered to be a major accomplishment of the American President. Mr. Nikonov said that establishing good relations with Moscow is one of “Washington’s real success stories.”  

In view of declining approval ratings of the Democratic Congress and recent poll results that show Republican candidates going strong in the run-up to the November elections, it is understandable that the President is interested in tackling foreign policy issues. With insurgency on the rise, military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq cannot be described as successful. The combination of various political factors prompts the American leader to concentrate more on welding better relations with Moscow. The American leader seems to be convinced that working together with Russia will help U.S. address other important problems in the foreign policy arena, such as issues with North Korea and Iran.

Moreover, the new atmosphere of Russian-American relations will be conducive to the formation of a new expansive treaty for limiting strategic offensive weapons.

Political experts say that Mr. Obama became President at a difficult time in American history, when the country’s position on the world stage was undermined as a result of the global economic crisis. The American leader, according to analysts, is striving to find the right non-violent posture for the U.S. to take in the world. These endeavors instantly diffused the charged atmosphere in the relationship between America and Russia. The scope and extent of America’s relations with Russia is evidence of the soundness of the policy chosen by the nation’s leader. While in the past the two sides were always talking about enhancing cooperation, it is only now that Russian and American officials started to take a practical approach to mending the relationship. The U.S. and Russia showed to each other the willingness to listen to one another and to compare each other’s list of problems.

The expectation of picture-perfect U.S.-Russian relations is not realistic yet. Still, Obama’s coming to power significantly shifted the attitude of the American establishment and sowed the seeds of actual changes in the dialogue between the two countries.