AAM DISPATCH

President Obama arrived in Moscow for a 3-day summit with Russian leaders. After meeting with Russian President Medvedev, they announced a deal to reduce stockpiled nuclear weapons to as few as 1,500 each, the lowest levels of any US-Russia arms control agreement. Tomorrow he will meet with Russian Prime Minister Putin. The relationship between the two countries is at an all time low not seen since the cold war. From The Root:

The U.S.-Russian relationship is still recovering from the nadir of post-Cold War relations that was reached during the most recent Bush administration. Both sides have their grievances; Russia strongly objects to the Bush administration’s missile defense program in Poland and the Czech Republic, U.S. recognition of Kosovo and U.S. criticism of Russia during its war with Georgia. The United States objects to Russia’s attempts to expand its sphere of influence and bully its neighbors.

Besides the agreement to reduce nuclear arsenals, Russia has agreed to allow the transit of American military cargo to Afghanistan. The US needs Russian support on many other issues, including how to contain the nuclear ambitions of Iran and North Korea, fighting terrorism and global warming initiatives. Listen to Russia: From Cold War to Cold Peace, America Abroad’s program focusing on the perilous state of journalism there, a history of the Soviet Union collapse and Russia’s resurgence, and its concerns over NATO expansion.

Javier Barrera Russia

Controversy continues to follow the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. The latest fallout is that the International Olympic Committee has banned international torch relays as a result of the fireworks around the flame’s world tour en route to Beijing. According to a BBC article today:

Instead of representing a symbol of hope and inspiration, the Olympic torch became a magnet for protesters in 2008 en route to Beijing, sparking sometimes violent protests over China’s human rights record.

The intersection of politics and the Olympics was the subject of our radio program in July 2008. Power, Politics, and the Olympics explores how politics plays into the host selection process, how host nations use the games for political purposes, and how international political agendas compete at the games. There’s a reason the late Hunter Thompson was such a fan of sports and politics–the two often go hand-in-hand.

Sean Carberry Boycott, China, International Politics, Olympics, Russia, South Korea, Sports