COMM/POSC425-011

"Global Agenda 2001"

Writing Assignment #5
Russia|
Due: Thursday, May 10, 2001

 

  • Russia's a cold war relic, no longer part of the world's power elite
  • Russia's military is a disgrace - it can't even pay its soldiers
  • Russia's weapons are antiquated and rusty
  • Russia has thousands of nukes still capable of striking the U.S.
  • Russia's a "black hole" for U.S. aid; we should stop wasting our money
  • Russia can hardly be considered a democracy; we shouldn't deal with them
  • Russia's behavior in Chechnya is a disgrace to standards of human rights
  • Russia's president seems more like a KGB leader than a democrat
  • Russia should be left out of the G-7
  • Russia sells weapons technology to the world's bad guys
  • Russia assists Iran, a U.S. nemesis, with nuclear technology
  • Russia spies on the United States
  • Russia's space exploration system is on its last legs; we should drop the partnership
  • Russia's economy is in the tank
  • Russia's resources are exploited by former communist party hacks
  • Russia's media are government controlled
  • Russia can use its U.N. veto to block American initiatives
  • Russia's a huge nation, geographically dominating Europe and Asia; it can't be ignored
  • Russia is a fledgling democracy; we should help it learn the ropes; this will help ensure cooperation in the future, especially in "tough" times
  • The U.S. should help Russia learn about elements of democracy such as rule of law and civillian control of the military
  • Russia cooperates with the U.S. in space exploration
  • Russia helps support the U.S.-sponsored Arab-Israeli peace process
  • Russian troops are helping NATO keep peace in the Balkans
  • Russian scientists, who once built nuclear weapons aimed at us, should be helped to find peaceful uses for their talents; we should give them aid
  • Russia has reduced its nuclear weapons arsenal substantially, and stopped aiming weapons at the U.S.
  • Russia is helping to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction by controlling the sale of most weapons technology (and nuclear components)
  • Russia is an important political player in the politics of Europe (western & eastern)
  • Russia has a powerful veto on the U.N. Security Council
  • Russia could make trouble for the U.S. if it wanted, by aiding terrorists and opposing U.S. policies abroad

Write:
Choose one of these points of view. Argue it in a 4-5 page paper designed to persuade others of how the United States should behave toward Russia. You need not mention or include all of the points listed above, and you may include others not listed.