Russia Playing a More Assertive Role in the World
When the bipolar world order collapsed in early 1990s many U.S. officials welcomed it saying in the emerging world order the Americans would lead the world.
Some of the U.S. officials still live in the atmosphere of early 1990. Whereas the world has changed tremendously ever since.
Russia for sometime was busy putting its house in order and naturally was not in a position to follow an independent foreign policy. Most scholars and analysts accept that Russia is putting behind the transitional period of indecision.
But things have changed and Russia today is more self-confident than early 1990s. Moreover, the Russian officials are quite aware of the fact that in case they give in to the U.S. bullying today, it would be the end of their independence.
This is why with regard to their relations to the United States and Iran they have followed a more independent policy during the last few years than the early years of the post-Cold War era.
Recently Russia informed the United States that it will no longer abide by the secrete agreement it had signed with Washington with regard to Iran, for the United States had violated the agreement and moreover the deadline of the agreement was over.
Now the Americans are trying to play the role of a godfather, but Russia will not accept it. U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Henry H. Shelton will be in Moscow on December 11-13, AFP said. Russia announced last week its intention to renew arms negotiations with Tehran, effectively scrapping a five-year-old accord with Washington that banned conventional arms sales to Iran. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov later brushed aside a U.S. warning that Moscow could face economic sanctions if it went ahead with supplying military hardware to Iran.
Experts believe that Russia is now trying to play a more assertive role in the world. The latest measure taken by Moscow in this regard was its initiative with regard to the Middle East.