MOSCOW, August 31 (Itar-Tass) — The Vedomosti daily is seeking in an editorial article to answer a question, what the US foreign policy will be towards Russia after the elections of a new president in the United States.
The list of candidates at upcoming presidential elections in the country is determined. Mitt Romney will run in the presidential elections against incumbent US Democrat President Barack Obama. In case of victory of Obama the newspaper does not expect any major changes, explaining this by the fact that the architect of the reset policy intends to continue the policy for cooperation with Russia.
Another point is the Republicans, who have traditionally a tougher policy to Russia. Most Romney’s advisors for foreign affairs believe that the reset policy failed and stated about the need to return to a tougher policy towards Russia. During Romney’s election campaign his associates called Russia as a geopolitical enemy number one.
In fact, the Vedomosti daily reported that the Republicans lack a clear-cut strategy of actions towards Russia, and in case of Romney’s victory the relations with Russia will hardly be among the priorities of a new US administration. Incumbent Republican leaders, contrary to George W. Bush, are not so interested in global domination, they focused on the settlement of domestic US issues.
Meanwhile, the newspaper noted that a probable comeback of the Republicans in the White House is profitable for Moscow hawks, who are seeking to keep up the syndrome of the besieged fortress in Russians. Harsh critical attacks by Romney and his associates against Russia’s domestic and foreign policy, their support for the construction of missile defence sites in Eastern Europe will be one of favourite topics for Russian central television channels, which are seeking to persuade ordinary citizens that the United States and the West, if to take it on a broader scale, are the enemies, which take Russia as an enemy and are ready to support the fifth column inside Russia and along the parameter of its borders in order to make the country weaker.
The Vedomosti daily does not rule out that this factor may result in a new turn-of-the-screw policy and a real deterioration of relations with the US and the European Union that will have a negative impact on economic and technological development in Russia.