This weekend President Obama is in Lisbon for a series of crucial international summits with NATO, NATO-Russia and the European Union. These transatlantic meetings will have a direct bearing on American national security, specifically as it relates to Afghanistan, Iran, nuclear weapons, missile defense, Russia and overall NATO strategy. Despite positive momentum leading into these meetings, as symbolized by the U.S.-Russia "reset," which restored relations from their post-Cold War nadir in 2008, new strains are emerging, particularly those being caused by partisan politics in the U.S. Senate. Specifically, while the president is abroad pursuing America's interests, those playing politics at home are actively attempting to undermine them. As the Washington Post reports this morning on the New START nuclear agreement between our two countries, "Russians are mystified. They can't quite believe that the U.S. Senate might fail to ratify the nuclear arms treaty, and they see no good from such an outcome. The list of possible harmful effects they cite encompasses a minefield of global concerns: no more cooperation on Iran, a setback for progressive tendencies in Russia, new hurdles for Russian membership in the World Trade Organization, a terrible example for nuclear countries such as China and India, dim prospects for better NATO relations. And to top it off, the United States and its president would look ridiculous." America's security and interests should outweigh political positioning at home, and while the president is in Europe promoting American interests, partisan politicians in Washington make achieving this goal much more difficult.
