Getting to 'Yes' on Missile Defense

The recent visit by Dmitry Rogozin, the Kremlin’s special envoy for missile defense cooperation with NATO, to the U.S. State Department highlights one of the many obstacles to U.S.-Russian cooperation on ballistic missile defense.

Russia’s diplomats have generally, but not always, adopted a harder line, while Rogozin has been pushing his own missile defense agenda.

Another complexity is uncertainty over who will rule Russia. Given the differing views of President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, many bureaucrats prefer to avoid offering bold initiatives regarding missile defense or other strategic arms control issues until they know who the next president will be.

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