The Realist Prism: For Russia, Obama's Reset Not Such a Sweet Deal

It is an article of faith among American conservatives that Russian President Vladimir Putin is rooting for U.S. President Barack Obama to win the U.S. presidential election next month, and that if Republican nominee Mitt Romney were to take up residence in the White House in January 2013, it would be a major setback for the Kremlin. This is based, in part, on the assessment that Obama has been too willing to compromise with Moscow, but it also fits into a larger narrative of “weakness” supposedly displayed by the current administration, beginning with the whole notion that U.S.-Russia relations could be reset.

In reality, the view from Moscow is that Obama and his team have zealously defended and advanced U.S. interests, and in many cases have “gotten the better” of Russia in the bargain: ...