As US-Russian relations scrape the depths of cold-war antagonism the promise of partnership
that beguiled American administrations during the first post-Soviet decades increasingly
appears to have been false from the start. Why did American leaders persist in pursuing it? Was
there another path that would have produced more constructive relations or better prepared
Washington to face the challenge Russia poses today? With a practitioner's eye honed during
decades of work on Russian affairs Thomas Graham deftly traces the evolution of opposing ideas
of national purpose that created an inherent tension in relations. Getting Russia Right
identifies the blind spots that prevented Washington from seeing Russia as it really is and
crafting a policy to advance American interests without provoking an aggressive Russian
response. Distilling the Putin factor to reveal the contours of the Russia challenge facing the
United States whenever he departs the scene Graham lays out a compelling way to deal with it
so that the United States can continue to advance its interests in a rapidly changing world.
