July 17, 2009 Russia Profile Weekly Experts Panel: Will The Obama - Medvedev Commission Help Boost US-Russian Relations? Introduced by Vladimir Frolov Russia Profile
One of the key results of U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Moscow last week was an agreement to form a U.S.-Russian Bilateral Presidential Commission, which the two presidents will chair, while U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov coordinate its routine activities. But is it really new? The commission is reminiscent of previous bilateral bodies, which critics say were over-bureaucratic and of limited use. Will the new commission really help boost U.S.-Russian partnership? Was it the right move to resurrect a structure of the past? How effective could it be with such a sprawling bureaucratic structure and distant presidential oversight? What business can the working group on civil society do and is it appropriate for both governments to interfere in the life of NGOs?
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