From Russia with Spite

Today, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. of meddling in its affairs by allegedly removing international observers from the country's upcoming Parliamentary elections.

According to information we have, it was again done at the recommendation of the U.S. State Department, and we will take this into account in our interstate relations with this country.  Their goal is the delegitimization of the elections.   

This follows Russia's detention of opposition leaders, including Chess champion Gary Kasparov, and the mysterious deaths of reporters critical of Putin's government.  Unsurprisingly, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the election-monitoring organization, concluded that the Russian government restrictions made it impossible for it to carry out its work.  In addition, American diplomats denied any involvement and called Mr. Putin’s assertion “nonsense.”

This is just the latest chilly exchange between the U.S. and Russia.  Putin's ambition and Russia's oil wealth have given the "former" Communist nation the courage to oppose the international community on many mainstay international issues.  Russia has refused to pursue sanctions on Iran's nuclear development; continued to sell weapons to Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Myanmar, and Sudan; and vehemently opposed a limited U.S. missile defense shield.   

With China frequently on Russia's side of these issues, there is little hope for resolution in the near term.  As such, these issues will carry over to the next U.S. President, and will likely consume a substantive portion of the next Presidential term.  Accordingly, Russia should become a recurring topic in the ongoing Presidential debates, especially with the minimal foreign policy experience of key candidates.