It has been nearly three decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the emergence of Russia as an independent state. Moscow (and what was the USSR) is no longer a strategic rival, as it was in the days of the Cold War. While the United States is no longer in a hostile Cold War confrontation with Russia, relations continue to follow a tempestuous course.

Moscow is no longer the “perceived” enemy, but the relationship in the ensuing decades hasn’t blossomed into a friendship either, and sustainable cooperative relations based on the concept of a balance of interests have been elusive. Forging an improved bilateral relationship is in America’s national interest, especially given the re-emergence of Russia’s nationalism under President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s growing power on the world stage.