Pre-Summit Briefing - 05.20.2002

 

Preview of Bush-Putin Summit
Briefing for Congressional Staff

Dr. Ariel Cohen, Heritage Foundation
Dr. Nadia Diuk, National Endowment for Democracy
Mark Levin, NCSJ, moderator

(l.-r.) Nadia Diuk, Mark Levin and 
Ariel Cohen at NCSJ briefing

Mark Levin introduced the panelists. Drs. Cohen and Diuk outlined their perspectives on the summit’s likely agenda, and Mr. Levin then opened the floor to questions.

Ariel Cohen

The summit agenda will address two types of issues: “legacy issues” involve closing chapters from the Cold War, while “transformation issues” relate to the new relationship. The former include non-proliferation, nuclear weapons reduction, Saddam Hussein, arms sales to Iran, and ending Jackson-Vanik restrictions on trade. The latter include accession to the World Trade Organization and creating a NATO-Russia Joint Permanent Council to discuss counter-terrorism, non-proliferation and peacekeeping.  

Nadia Diuk

The key questions for the democracy community are whether Russia is becoming more democratic and whether these changes are irreversible.  Russia is moving closer toward the West and expanded democracy.  The government has voiced no serious objection to U.S. military presence in Central Asia. Putin, modeling himself after Peter the Great, is looking toward the West despite some homegrown resistance. 

We learned from the Cold War that American can exert “an undisputed moral force in the world” by exercising a foreign policy strong in its support of freedom and democracy. In this context, Bush must remind Putin of unfinished business: a Chechnya settlement; “managed democracy” and de facto control over the media; support for Belarus; meddling in Ukraine; and Moldova and the Transnistria conflict.

Q & A

Mark Levin asked if the summit would be “a difficult talk between friends” or a “feel-good…public-relations show.” All three panelists agreed that some elements of both would occur, and that President Putin’s democratic reforms should be acknowledged, along with concerns over some lack of progress.  Mr. Levin highlighted NCSJ’s efforts “to have these issues become an important part of the agenda” and NCSJ’s support for Russia’s “graduation” from the Jackson-Vanik Amendment, in the context of reaffirming support for human rights and religious freedom.