Obama rebuts Mitt Romney, belittles Russia as a weak 'regional power'

Obama rebuts Mitt Romney, belittles Russia as a weak &#039;regional power&#039;

(Image credit: Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

This isn't the first time somebody has suggested that Russia, fresh off its largely bloodless conquest of Crimea, isn't punching at its Cold War weight. But President Obama, of course, isn't just another pundit or erudite Russia scholar. On Tuesday, at a press conference in The Hague alongside Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Obama said that Russia is a "regional power" with flagging influence whose leader, Vladimir Putin, is striking out against Russia's neighbors "not out of strength, but out of weakness."

Those are some strong words about Putin. But actually, Obama was responding to criticism of his Russia policy from Republicans, especially 2012 election rival Mitt Romney. When Romney called Russia America's No. 1 geopolitical foe in 2012, Obama shot back that the 1980s are "calling to ask for their foreign policy back." His response to Romney's new critique is the same, Obama said:

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.

Explore More

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.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox