The results of American and Russian presidential and legislative elections in 2008 should open the door to more cooperation between the two states on arms control after January, according to Stephen J. Cimbala, political science professor at Penn State Brandywine.
The opportunity will exist for Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and his U.S. counterpart to make progress next year in several areas, according to Cimbala: concluding a follow-on agreement to START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) limitations on intercontinental nuclear weapons, set to expire in 2009; narrowing differences on the Cold War CFE (Conventional Forces in Europe) Treaty, which former Russian President and now Prime Minister Vladimir Putin put on hold last year; and accelerated cooperation on international counter-terrorism and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
The most contentious issue between Russia and the United States remains ballistic missile defenses, said Cimbala, who is writing a book on that subject.