Arrests of suspected Russian spies have damaged President Obama's efforts to improve international relationships between the U.S. and foreign nations. Russia had originaly denied the charges then announced that the suspects in question were indeed Russian citizens. The arrests took place only 3 days after a visit from President Dmitri Medvedev to the White House, unfortunately marring an otherwise peaceful encounter. Obama planned to ignore the event for the most part to focus his attention on "more important matters". However, these arrests should not truly come as a surprise according to Senator Christopher Bond from Missouri as "Russia is not a trustworthy ally". Relationships between Russia and the U. S. meanwhile, may be easier to repair as no "serious breach of national security" occured.
While I understand that espionage between countries, even close allies, does occur and is relatively unpreventable, I do not agree with the President's decision to ignore the event. Rings of Russian spies have caused widespread chaos in the past, such as the Palmer Raids, and should not be taken so lightly. The government should work to improve relations with fair-weather and boarder-line allies such as Russia to the point where espionage will no longer be necessary.
Article Referenced:
Baker, Peter. "Despite Arrests, Working to Rebuild Russia Ties."NYTimes. 30 June 2010. Web. July 2010.
Many think that espionage between our two nations is a thing of the past because of more cooperation between the two. I think we need to get back some of our spies and that's the reason for the deal. Have you ever heard of diplomatic immunity? You probably wouldn't like that concept either... :)
ReplyDeleteAlthough we need to work to improve relations with foreign powers I believe by completely ignoring an issue such as this with Russia only welcomes more espionage. By not strictly punishing such a deceitful act it only sends a message that the United States is easing up only to appear as a more friendly and less harsh strong power. President Obama's intentions with improving foreign relations is good although i see at times a little too optimistic. The United States must keep an open mind by not acting on things too quickly yet at the same time by ignoring espionage signs it only makes us a more vulnerable nation.
ReplyDeleteFor years, there have been foreign spies in the United States, especially in Washington D.C. The fact that a few were revealed should not be of main importance when the economy is poor and not improving much. The spies that were arrested and deported had raised families in the United States. It would certainly be shocking to find out your parents were Russian spies and that your whole life was a lie and you were forced to uproot and leave. I feel bad for the kids. Anyway, because Russia isn’t a great ally with the United States and because national security was not violated, I think that Obama’s best plan of action is to concentrate on the economy, as opposed to scraping the country with a fine-tooth comb looking for foreign spies.
ReplyDelete