The two countries seem to be … simultaneously reaching out in cooperation with one hand while raising the other for a sharp blow, with neither the embrace nor the strike ever quite reaching its mark.

If only realism could prevail, one is tempted to hope, the United States and Russia could work together to meet their common interests in security, stability, and prosperity. Reality, however, just keeps getting in the way.

An understanding of Russia's concerns about missile defense “requires an understanding of Russia's new security, military, and foreign policy doctrines; the complex role nuclear weapons play in defense policy; the relationship between Russian conventional and nuclear capabilities; and the priorities for economic reform articulated by President Vladimir Putin's administration.”