Russian Claims of Privileged Sphere Draw Criticism

By Howard Cincotta In the wake of Russia's assault on Georgia, its claims of a "privileged" sphere of influence within the boundaries of the former Soviet Union, along with the declaration of a right to intervene on behalf of Russian citizens outside its borders, have drawn expressions of confusion, dismay and outright rejection in the United States and Europe. "Russia seeks to roll back democratic breakthroughs on its borders, to destroy any chance of further NATO or [European Union] enlargement and to re-establish a sphere of hegemony over its neighbors," wrote two former Clinton administration diplomats in a Washington Post commentary. Richard Holbrooke, now a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, negotiated the Dayton Peace Accords for Bosnia; Ronald Asmus, former deputy assistant secretary of state, is... [read full story]