Clinton’s ‘Moscow Spring’ ended as Putin returned to power
BRADLEY KLAPPER AND MATTHEW LEE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton basked in a diplomatic Moscow Spring, seizing on Vladimir Putins break from the presidency to help seal a nuclear arms-control treaty and secure Russias acquiescence to a NATO-led military intervention in Libya. But when Putin returned to the top job, things changed.
Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, has vowed to stand up to Putin if elected, drawing on her four years of ups and downs as the public face of President Barack Obamas first-term reset with Russia. By comparison, her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, has rung alarm bells in Washington and Europe with his overtures to the authoritarian Russian leader.
But Clintons wrangles with Russia led to mixed results. Her fortunes dipped dramatically after Putin replaced Dmitry Medvedev as president in May 2012.
Just weeks later, Russia outmaneuvered her in negotiations over a complicated Syria peace plan, dealing her what was arguably her worst diplomatic defeat. While Clinton hailed it as a triumph, the war only escalated. And while her aides still insist she came out on top, the blueprint effectively gave Syrias Moscow-backed president, Bashar Assad, a veto over any transition government, hampering all mediation efforts still.
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http://www.salon.com/2016/08/07/clintons_moscow_spring_ended_as_putin_returned_to_power_2/