American political scientist called on US to change its approach to Russia

The head of the Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence and Global Affairs, Joshua Huminski, in an article for The Hill, suggested changing the approach to assessing Russia.

The expert considers it important that the strategy of the US President Joe Biden’s administration begins with a deep understanding of Russian interests, power and actions, and “not on the basis that they are based on weakness, structural decline, vulnerability or some other shortcomings.” This, as Huminsky is sure, will help to develop smarter and more forward-looking policies towards the country.

However, according to him, understanding does not mean recognition. “Rather, it is the ability to assess Russia as it is, and not as Washington wants it to be,” he explained.

Huminsky believes that there are differences between how Russia is described and what it really is: its tactics and actions are dictated by an analysis of opportunities, interests and the resources already available. This, in the opinion of the author of the article, is exactly what intelligent and intelligent countries do. If you evaluate it by the standards of Washington, you can get a “mirror image”.

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The political scientist also warned that Moscow’s strategic interests cannot be ignored, otherwise it will constantly cheat Washington.

Khuminsky called for an end to the use of the vocabulary of “hybrid war” and other “buzzwords” to describe Russian foreign policy and security. The expert noted the usefulness of the debates, but their participants dwell on the actions of Russia and at the same time do not think about the reasons for such behavior.

In addition, Russia’s success in using its force deserves attention and a rethinking of its capabilities. All of her recent actions have yielded results, with the country showing no signs of weakness.
The stability of Russia is also evidenced by the fact that it feels confident and achieves its security goals. Khuminski stressed that even after the collapse of the USSR, Moscow still had interests. At the same time, he urged Washington not to forget that Russia’s history is not limited to the Soviet period – in addition, it should also be aware of the geographic contradictions and security dilemmas it faces.

The expert urged to understand Russia as it is in order to streamline the perception of it.

The author recalled two quotes: one of the phrases belongs to Senator Mitt Romney that Russia is not a gas station that disguises itself as a country and snaps at the moment of decline. The second phrase is attributed to Clemens Metternich and Winston Churchill: “Russia is never as strong as it looks; Russia is never as weak as it seems.”