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WHEN PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA CANCELED HIS UPCOMING SEPTEMBER SUMMIT IN MOSCOW WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT
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VLADIMIR PUTIN, MANY SAW THAT MOVE AS A MAJOR REBUKE.
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WELL UP TO NOW, THE U.S. AND RUSSIA HAVE COOPERATED ON A RANGE OF ISSUES, BUT THERE HAD BEEN SOME
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DISAGREEMENTS ON ISSUES INCLUDING THAT OF SYRIA.
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FROM THE START OF HIS PRESIDENCY, WE ALL REMEMBER, PRESIDENT OBAMA MADE RESETTING RELATIONS WITH
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RUSSIA HIGH PRIORITY. BUT AS VOA'S CORRESPONDENT IN MOSCOW JIM BROOKE TELLS ME, THE DISPUTE
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OVER EDWARD SNOWDEN IS JUST ONE SIGN THAT HAS CHANGED.
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PRESIDENT OBAMA'S DECISION TO CANCEL THIS PLANNED MEETING WITH PUTIN... WHAT DOES THAT
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DO FOR THIS U.S. - RUSSIA RESET THAT HAS BEEN IN WORKS NOW FOR FEW YEARS?
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WELL, THE RESET IS BASICALLY OVER. I THINK WE ARE ENTERING A PHASE OF U.S. - RUSSIA RELATIONS
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WHERE THE U.S. - THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION - IS GOING TO DOWNGRADE THE RUSSIAN RELATIONSHIP
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TO SECOND TIER OFFICIALS. IT WILL BE PURELY TRANSACTIONAL. THERE IS A FEELING THERE'S
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NO SUCH THING AS GOOD WILL WITH THE KREMLIN. IF YOU WANT A DEAL YOU SIT DOWN, YOU NEGOTIATE
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THE PRICE, YOU RENEGOTIATE THE PRICE AND YOU FINALLY COME TO THE PRICE. DON'T LOOK FOR
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GOOD WILL FROM EITHER SIDE AND DON'T EXPECT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO BE INVOLVED
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BECAUSE HE HAS 10 THOUSAND DAYS LEFT IN THE OFFICE, HE'S THINKING OF THIS LEGACY AND HE
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DOESN'T WANT TO WASTE TIME, HE DOESN'T WANT MEETINGS FOR MEETINGS. AND I THINK THAT'S
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WHY THE MEETING WAS CANCELLED YESTERDAY. THERE REALLY WAS NOTHING SUBSTANTIVE IT WAS COME
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OUT OF IT.
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JIM, HOW BADLY HAS THIS DISPUTE OVER EDWARD SNOWDEN DAMAGED THE U.S. - RUSSIA RELATIONSHIP?
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ALEX, REALLY IT IS A STRAW THAT HAS BROKEN A CAMEL'S BACK I THINK. THERE ARE A LONG SUCCESSION
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OF DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE PUTIN GOVERNMENT AND THE WHITE HOUSE AND THIS IS A FINAL STRAW
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I THINK. YOU HAVE TO GO BACK TO PUTIN'S BANNING AMERICAN PARENTS FROM ADOPTING RUSSIAN CHILDREN
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BACK IN JANUARY. SINCE THEN, THERE HAVE BEEN A SERIES OF BAD INCIDENTS.
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WHAT ARE SOME OF OTHER TENSIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING?
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WELL, IN THE LAST FALL PUTIN KICKED OUT USAID, JUST UNILATERALLY ENDED THE AID PROGRAM WHICH
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WAS WORKING QUITE WELL IN RUSSIA FOR 20 YEARS. THEY DECIDED TO PULL OUT OF THE NUNN-LUGAR
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NUCLEAR THREAT REDUCTION PROGRAM. THEY BASICALLY MADE CLEAR THAT TWO AMERICA DEMOCRACY GROUPS
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SHOULD LEAVE - NDI, NATIONAL DEMOCRACY INSTITUTE, AND THE INTERNATIONAL REPUBLICAN INSTITUTE.
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AND THAN THERE WAS VERY SERIOUS CRACK DOWN ON HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS, ANTI-CORRUPTION GROUPS
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INSIDE RUSSIA COUPLED WITH PUTTING THE MOST IMPORTANT OPPOSITION PEOPLE ON TRAIL. SOME
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PEOPLE WERE GOING TO THE EXILE. THIS REAL CHANGE IN RUSSIA SINCE VLADIMIR PUTIN CAME
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BACK TO THE KREMLIN IN MAY OF LAST YEAR, A GREAT CHANGE FOR THE NEGATIVE.
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AND HOW DO YOU THINK RUSSIANS, JUST SORT OF THE GENERAL POPULATION, HOW THEY'VE BEEN RECEIVING
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THIS SHIFT? ARE THEY ALIGNING WITH PUTIN ON THIS ANTI U.S. FRONT?
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YES, ALEX, PUTIN IS REALLY DOING THIS TO BUILD UP DOMESTIC SUPPORT, TO CONSOLIDATE HIS DOMESTIC
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BASE AND THIS BASE IN THIS CASE WOULD BE RURAL, SMALL TOWN BASE, DEPENDENT ON THE STATE TELEVISION,
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NOT HAVING ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. NOW ABOUT A HALF THE COUNTRY HAS ACCESS TO INTERNET
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AND THEY ARE MUCH MORE PLUGGED INTO MAINSTREAM THINKING AND THEY ARE NOT REALLY GOING ON
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BOARD WITH THIS. YOU LOOK AT APPROVAL RATINGS OF THE U. S. THEY REALLY HAVEN'T GONE DOWN
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MUCH, MAYBE 55 PERCENT OR SOMETHING, BUT PUTIN IS DOING THIS TO CREATE A FOREIGN ENEMY AND
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TO TRY TO RALLY HIS DOMESTIC SUPPORT AROUND HIM. AND A LOT OF RUSSIANS THAT I SPEAK TO
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ARE EMBARRASSED OR JUST TUNE HIM OUT.
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WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO REPAIR THE RELATIONSHIP?
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IF SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAPPENED IN THE EASTERN PART OF RUSSIA WITH THEIR CHINESE FRIENDS,
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ALL OF A SUDDEN THE KREMLIN WOULD REDISCOVER THEIR UTILITY OF GETTING ALONG WITH EUROPE
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AND THE UNITED STATES. BUT THEY FEEL THEIR BACKS ARE PRETTY WELL COVERED OF THE CHINESE,
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THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT. I THINK AT SOME POINT MR.
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PUTIN WILL LEAVE OFFICE, BUT THAT COULD NOT BE FOR 10 YEARS, SO LET'S NOT HOLD OUR BREATHS
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ON THAT. IN THE WHITE HOUSE - DEMOCRAT, REPUBLICAN, I DON'T THINK IT REALLY MATTERS - PUTIN IS
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A MAN WHO IS TRAUMATIZED BY THE COLLAPSES OF THE SOVIET UNION AND TOOK IT VERY MUCH
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TO HEART AND DOES SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT THE WEST IS OUT TO ALL IS CHECK AND TO DIMINISH
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RUSSIA. AND HE ALSO KEEPS A GRUDGE. IF YOU GO BACK TO YEAR 2000, LOOK AT THE PICTURE
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OF G-8, HE'S THE LAST MAN STANDING. HE'S THE ONLY LEADER IN G-8 WHO IS STILL THE LEADER
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SO HE WILL LECTURE PRESIDENT OBAMA ABOUT PRESIDENT BUSH. AND PRESIDENT OBAMA CAN SAY 'HEY THAT'S
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WHY WHO IS ELECTED. I DON'T LIKE BUSH EITHER BUT WHY ARE WE WASTING OUR TIME WITH THIS
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CONVERSATION?'
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AND OUR THANKS AGAIN TO VOA'S CORRESPONDENT IN MOSCOW JIM BROOKE.