By Ben Katcher

Caroline Esser is a Research Intern at the New America Foundation/American Strategy Program.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s discussion of President Obama’s upcoming visit to Russia strikes a cooperative, friendly tone. But toward the end he quotes John F. Kennedy, who said during the Cuba Missile Crisis that “If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.

As President Obama prepares to visit Russia next week, Columbia University‘s Robert Legvold has a thought-provoking article on the state of U.S.-Russia relations in the current issue of Foreign Affairs. Legvold helpfully identifies current U.S.

President Eisenhower and Cuban President Batista meet in Panama. Patrick Doherty directs the New America Foundation/U.S.-Cuba 21st Century Policy Initiative. One of the most difficult communications challenges for President Obama will be overcoming America’s history of ideological hypocrisy. In his speech in Cairo, Mr.

Atlantic Council Senior Fellow David L. Phillips has an excellent post at the New Atlanticist blog explaining the emerging strategic partnership between Turkey and the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil, Iraq. Phillips explains: Turkey’s military strikes against the PKK in northern Iraq were a tactical and political success.

Washington is all about networking. Attach yourself to someone famous and well-connected, book their flights, get them coffee, take the blame for their mistakes, write for their blog, etc. – and in exchange they introduce you to their friends, sign letters of recommendation that you write for yourself, and do you a favor or two….

Patrick Doherty directs the New America Foundation/U.S.-Cuba 21st Century Policy Initiative. “Strangulation is no solution.” That’s General Barry McCaffrey’s assessment of the U.S. policy towards Cuba. He’s right. More importantly, writing in the Miami Herald, McCaffrey, a decorated Vietnam veteran, hero of Desert Storm and, more relevant to this discussion, former commander, U.S.

Niko Karvounis is a policy analyst at the New America Foundation/Next Social Contract Initiative. For the last few months, many discussions about the recession have centered on the supposed emergence of “green shoots,” or incipient signs of economic recovery.

The events in Iran over the past week have raised a number of important and difficult questions.

Last week’s summit of the so-called BRIC countries in Yekaterinburg, Russia was meant to celebrate the emergence of Brazil, Russia, India and China as emerging economies and major players on the world stage. It is a bit ironic then, that this meeting was held in Russia, given the current state of that country’s economy.