Rethink - II

The bipartisan Council on Foreign Relations committee co-chaired by former senator John Edwards (D-N.C.) and Republican former housing secretary Jack Kemp has now delivered its report. The Washington Post notes:

In a grim assessment of the recent "downward trajectory" under Putin, the Council on Foreign Relations reports that in Russia democracy is in retreat, corruption on the rise and the Kremlin an increasing obstacle to U.S. interests. The goodwill that developed between President Bush and Putin, particularly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has eroded.

"U.S.-Russian relations are clearly headed in the wrong direction," the task force wrote. "Contention is crowding out consensus. The very idea of 'strategic partnership' no longer seems realistic."

The complete text of the report can be read here (pdf file).

See also in this blog: Rethink