Originally published on the CGS blog on July 7, 2009.
On July 7, 2009, President Obama spoke to the graduating class of the New Economic School in Moscow. He discussed the importance of Russian involvement in global politics and a new way of thinking about the relationship between the U.S. and Russia. He noted that the dynamics of international politics have changed greatly and that “the pursuit of power is no longer a zero-sum game – progress must be shared.” He added that the U.S. and Russia must make “a sustained effort…to identify mutual interests, and expand dialogue and cooperation that can pave the way to progress.”
In his speech, he specifically addressed the issue of nuclear non-proliferation. “The notion that prestige comes from holding [nuclear] weapons, or that we can protect ourselves by picking and choosing which nations can have these weapons, is an illusion,” Obama said. “In the short period since the end of the Cold War, we’ve already seen India, Pakistan, and North Korea conduct nuclear tests. Without a fundamental change, do any of us truly believe that the next two decades will not bring about the further spread of these nuclear weapons?” Obama stressed the importance of upholding commitments to the Non-Proliferation Treaty [NPT], to which both Russia and the U.S. are party, and of both countries working together to create defense missile architecture against nuclear weapons in Central Asia and the Middle East.
“These challenges demand global partnership,” Obama stated, “and that partnership will be stronger if Russia occupies its rightful place as a great power.”
