Russia’s unilateral annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine have ruptured its relations with the West, and Putin has intentionally recreated a Cold War atmosphere by touting Russia’s “conservative values” as an ideological counterweight to the American-led liberal world order. Nonetheless, key issues – the carnage in Syria, the fight against the Islamic State, nuclear non-proliferation, and conflicting interests and competing claims in the Arctic – cannot be resolved without Russia’s involvement.
俄罗斯单方面吞并克里米亚和支持东乌克兰分裂分子已经导致其与西方决裂，普京有意地通过将俄罗斯的“保守主义价值”包装为美国领导的自由世界秩序的对立意识形态而营造出一种冷战氛围。尽管如此，关键问题——叙利亚大屠杀、与伊斯兰国的战斗、核不扩散和北冰洋的冲突利益和竞争性主张——都需要俄罗斯的参与才能解决。