On November 5, at 16:30 Moscow time (GMT + 3), the Valdai Club hosted an online discussion, titled “Elections in the United States: What to Expect for Russia?”
Elections in the United States are taking place in the most heated atmosphere of the past several decades. American society is polarised on many issues, including taxes, migration, Social Security, economic growth, and more. The country has been agitated by political scandals - from interference in elections to dubious stories involving candidates and their relatives. A similar fervor was observed four years ago. But now the uncertainty is exacerbated by the COVID-19 epidemic, which has caused sufficient damage to the United States. Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 9 million infection cases have been tallied in the country, and the United States still ranks first in the world.
For many years, the “Russian card” has been played within the framework of the American internal political struggle. This time, accusations of ties with Moscow are heard on both sides. Both Republicans and Democrats see Russia as an adversary on a par with China. The prospects for the extension of the START-3 treaty look dim regardless of the election's outcome. Any step towards Russia and the strengthening of strategic stability is likely to be critically perceived by the losing side.
Will there be significant changes in US foreign policy after the elections? Will the US change course with respect to the containment of China? Should we expect a more stringent policy towards Russia? How will the relationship between the US and its key allies in Europe and Asia be affected? Will the last bastions of the arms control regime be ruined? These and other questions were discussed by the participants in the expert discussion.
Speakers:
- Alan Cafruny, Professor of International Affairs on the Faculty of Government, Hamilton College (USA)
- Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC)
- Robert Legvold, Marshall D. Shulman Professor Emeritus, Columbia University; Director of the Euro-Atlantic Security Initiative
- Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics
Moderator:
Working languages: Russian, English.