"Russian Interests in the Axis of Evil"

With the end of the Cold War in 1989, foreign relations between Russia and the United States appeared to be improving throughout the 1990s. Issues concerning space exploration or nuclear missiles no longer separated the two countries. Today, however, the United States and Russia are again divided, holding different views regarding the current global conflict regarding the "axis of evil." While the United States has clearly taken action against North Korea, Iran, and Iraq in efforts to stifle their power and their negative political, social, and economic influence, Russia has done quite the opposite. Why do the Russian's policy plans differ so much from the plans proposed by President George W. Bush? What is the Russian government's true interest in these foreign nations, and what are they trying to accomplish? Will tensions between the United States and Russia re-elevate, or will the United States and Russia work together in spite of these conflicts?

Greg Zalasky, '04, will address these questions, among others as an Emerson scholar for 2003. Zalasky recently spent the spring semester of his junior year in Yaroslavl, Russia studying at Yaroslavl State University. His project, titled "Russian Interests in the Axis of Evil," will examine the differing American and Russian policies toward Iraq, Iran and North Korea. By participating in American think tanks, such as the Brookings Institute, Zalasky hopes to better understand the United States' views on Russia as well as the "axis of evil."

Through interviews with Russian professors and political analysts, Zalasky plans to investigate Russian's interests in these nations and how vital they are to the economic success and security of Russia.  He says he hopes to predict Russia's future political actions by examining Russia's foreign relations with these countries historically. Researching the extent to which Russia's interest in these nations constrains the efforts by the US to topple these evil regimes, Zalasky plans to question how the US and Russia can work together in spite of these conflicts of interests, if they can work together at all. He will work with Professors Yael Aronoff and Sharon Rivera of Hamilton's government department.

Zalasky is a rising senior majoring in Russian studies and world politics at Hamilton.
Created in 1997, the Emerson Foundation Grant program was designed to provide students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty members, researching an area of interest. The recipients, covering a range of topics, will explore fieldwork, laboratory and library research, and the development of teaching materials. The projects will be initiated this summer, and the students will make public presentations of their research throughout the 2003-2004 academic year.