Fortune: "Isolation of Russia is not in the interests of USA"

By Vestnik Kavkaza

Earlier this year, US President Barack Obama spoke about the effectiveness of the Western sanctions against Russia to his colleagues, stating that the country's economy was in a deplorable state, the US publication The Fortune reminds. However, after 4 months of detailed analysis of the Russian markets, experts came to the conclusion that the situation is completely different. According to analysts, the decline in the Russian economy has been associated more with the fall in oil prices than with the Western sanctions. The volume of investments coming into the country has increased from the beginning of the year. The economic stabilization which has occurred is largely due to the policy of import substitution, as well as to new partner countries, which are ready to cooperate with Russia on mutually beneficial terms.

It is interesting to note that just six months ago the US sanctions against Russia were not criticized, but now the situation has changed crucially. Many Western analysts agree that the isolation of Russia, even being done as a punishment for the violation of international law, is not in the interests of the United States. Also, we should not forget that the enforced isolation from the West has led to a rapprochement between Russia and China, which is undesirable for the US, and demonstrates the failure in its foreign policy in all regions. The futility of the sanctions imposed against Moscow is becoming evident, but also the potential threat to the West, which had not considered its forces coming to grips with such a strong player as Russia.

The Washington Post writes that the US Congress will not be an obstacle to the signing of the agreement on the nuclear program of Iran. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said that if the US government does not take steps to sign an agreement with Iran, the country runs the risk of being isolated. In addition, the democratic principles of the state will be questioned, and the country's rating in the world will falter. In addition, there is a possibility that in the event of the failure of negotiations on the nuclear program, the United States will be left without a possible ally in the Middle East, finally losing control of the region.

UK newspaper the Guardian writes that Iran is ready to give the Western powers time to implement the conditions on the nuclear agreement. Although Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed the importance of simultaneous fulfillment of the obligations of all parties, at the same time he publicly declared that he is ready to discuss terms for a successful conclusion of the transaction. The resolution of the Security Council of the United Nations assumes the obligations of Iran to immediately reduce the number of centrifuges and the stocks of enriched uranium and convert the plant from the production of heavy water into a research center.

Despite this, one of the most important questions of the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program remains the question of lifting sanctions against the state. The Iranian authorities announced that they are ready to accept the agreement if the terms for lifting the sanctions will be accepted by all the Western countries. Despite the uncertainty that still exists with regard to the negotiations, the Iranian leadership shows quite a lot of flexibility, which is very necessary in such difficult and strained diplomatic relations.

However, withdrawal of the sanctions against Iran met resistance from the US Congress, the majority of whose members advocate, if not military intervention, then a tightening of the economic measures against the Republic. However, prolonged for many years, the process of normalization of relations between Iran, the US and the EU, it seems, has arrived at the finishing line and its results will become known soon.