Russia and the U.S.: A New Relationship

Just fifteen years ago, it would have been unimaginable that the U.S. would be discussing security issues with Russia. But the world has changed, and this weekend Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to discuss the campaign in Afghanistan and the Anti-Ballistic Missle Treaty. The ABM treaty was a tense issue between the two nations just a few months ago, as the U.S. threatened to pull out. With a proposed solution to the ABM in the works and the two nations united in their opposition to terrorism, the U.S. and Russia appear closer than ever. This hour, we examine the new friendship between the two formerly bitter enemies. What does this new partnership mean for the world order?

Guests:

Andrew Weiss, former Director for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian Affairs for the National Security Council;
Marshall Goldman, Professor of Russian Economics at Wellesley College