Obama's 'reset' with Russia: What went wrong?

One of the president's big first-term diplomatic initiatives was rapprochement with Russia. So much for all that....

Putin vs. Obama
(Image credit: Sean Gallup, Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

In March 2009, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made news by presenting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with a cartoonish "Reset" button that included a bit of a translation error. The U.S. used the Russian word for "overcharged" where "reset" should be. The button was supposed to symbolize newly inaugurated President Obama's outreach to Russia. In a way, it did.

Gaffe aside, Obama was actually able to foster pretty good relations with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. While Medvedev was president, until early 2012, the two leaders negotiated a new arms control treaty and safe passage for Afghanistan-bound U.S. troops through Russia; Medvedev agreed to approve tough U.N. sanctions on Iran; and Obama helped get Russia into the World Trade Organization.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.