SENATE CONTACTS

Akaka, Daniel K. - (D - HI) Class I


141 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6361

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Alexander, Lamar - (R - TN) Class II

455 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Barrasso, John - (R - WY) Class I

307 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Baucus, Max - (D - MT) Class II

511 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Bayh, Evan - (D - IN) Class III

131 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Begich, Mark - (D - AK) Class II

144 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Bennet, Michael F. - (D - CO) Class III

702 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Bennett, Robert F. - (R - UT) Class III

431 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Bingaman, Jeff - (D - NM) Class I

703 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Bond, Christopher S. - (R - MO) Class III

274 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Boxer, Barbara - (D - CA) Class III

112 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Brown, Sherrod - (D - OH) Class I

713 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Brownback, Sam - (R - KS) Class III

303 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Bunning, Jim - (R - KY) Class III

316 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Burr, Richard - (R - NC) Class III

217 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Burris, Roland W. - (D - IL) Class III

387 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2854

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Byrd, Robert C. - (D - WV) Class I

311 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3954

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Cantwell, Maria - (D - WA) Class I

511 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Cardin, Benjamin L. - (D - MD) Class I

509 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Carper, Thomas R. - (D - DE) Class I

513 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Casey, Robert P., Jr. - (D - PA) Class I

393 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Chambliss, Saxby - (R - GA) Class II

416 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Coburn, Tom - (R - OK) Class III

172 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5754

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Cochran, Thad - (R - MS) Class II

113 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Collins, Susan M. - (R - ME) Class II

413 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2523

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Conrad, Kent - (D - ND) Class I

530 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

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Corker, Bob - (R - TN) Class I

185 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3344

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Cornyn, John - (R - TX) Class II

517 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2934

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Crapo, Mike - (R - ID) Class III

239 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6142

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DeMint, Jim - (R - SC) Class III

340 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6121

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Dodd, Christopher J. - (D - CT) Class III

448 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2823

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Dorgan, Byron L. - (D - ND) Class III

322 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2551

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Durbin, Richard J. - (D - IL) Class II

309 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2152

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Ensign, John - (R - NV) Class I

119 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6244

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Enzi, Michael B. - (R - WY) Class II

379A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3424

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Feingold, Russell D. - (D - WI) Class III

506 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5323

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Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA) Class I

331 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3841

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Franken, Al - (D - MN) Class II

320 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5641

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Gillibrand, Kirsten E. - (D - NY) Class I

478 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4451

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Graham, Lindsey - (R - SC) Class II

290 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5972

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Grassley, Chuck - (R - IA) Class III

135 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3744

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Gregg, Judd - (R - NH) Class III

201 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3324

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Hagan, Kay R. - (D - NC) Class II

521 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6342

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Harkin, Tom - (D - IA) Class II

731 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3254

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Hatch, Orrin G. - (R - UT) Class I

104 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5251

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Hutchison, Kay Bailey - (R - TX) Class I

284 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5922

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Inhofe, James M. - (R - OK) Class II

453 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4721

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Inouye, Daniel K. - (D - HI) Class III

722 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3934

Web Form: inouye.senate.gov/Contact/Email-Form.cfm



Isakson, Johnny - (R - GA) Class III

120 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3643

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Johanns, Mike - (R - NE) Class II

404 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4224

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Johnson, Tim - (D - SD) Class II

136 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5842

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Kaufman, Edward E. - (D - DE) Class II

383 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5042

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Kerry, John F. - (D - MA) Class II

218 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2742

Web Form: kerry.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm



Kirk, Paul G., Jr. - (D - MA) Class I

317 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4543

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Klobuchar, Amy - (D - MN) Class I

302 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3244

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Kohl, Herb - (D - WI) Class I

330 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5653

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Kyl, Jon - (R - AZ) Class I

730 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4521

Web Form: kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm



Landrieu, Mary L. - (D - LA) Class II

328 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5824

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Lautenberg, Frank R. - (D - NJ) Class II

324 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3224

Web Form: lautenberg.senate.gov/contact/routing.cfm



Leahy, Patrick J. - (D - VT) Class III

433 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4242

Web Form: leahy.senate.gov/contact.cfm



LeMieux, George S. - (R - FL) Class III

356 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3041

Web Form: lemieux.senate.gov/public/?p=EmailSenatorLeMieux



Levin, Carl - (D - MI) Class II

269 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6221

Web Form: levin.senate.gov/contact/



Lieberman, Joseph I. - (ID - CT) Class I

706 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4041

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Lincoln, Blanche L. - (D - AR) Class III

355 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4843

Web Form: lincoln.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm



Lugar, Richard G. - (R - IN) Class I

306 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4814

Web Form: lugar.senate.gov/contact/



McCain, John - (R - AZ) Class III

241 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2235

Web Form: mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Con...



McCaskill, Claire - (D - MO) Class I

717 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6154

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McConnell, Mitch - (R - KY) Class II

361A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2541

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Menendez, Robert - (D - NJ) Class I

528 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4744

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Merkley, Jeff - (D - OR) Class II

107 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3753

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Mikulski, Barbara A. - (D - MD) Class III

503 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4654

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Murkowski, Lisa - (R - AK) Class III

709 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6665

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Murray, Patty - (D - WA) Class III

173 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2621

Web Form: murray.senate.gov/email/index.cfm



Nelson, Ben - (D - NE) Class I

720 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6551

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Nelson, Bill - (D - FL) Class I

716 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5274

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Pryor, Mark L. - (D - AR) Class II

255 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2353

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Reed, Jack - (D - RI) Class II

728 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4642

Web Form: reed.senate.gov/contact/contact-share.cfm



Reid, Harry - (D - NV) Class III

522 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3542

Web Form: reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm



Risch, James E. - (R - ID) Class II

483 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2752

Web Form: risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email



Roberts, Pat - (R - KS) Class II

109 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4774

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Rockefeller, John D., IV - (D - WV) Class II

531 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6472

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Sanders, Bernard - (I - VT) Class I

332 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5141

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Schumer, Charles E. - (D - NY) Class III

313 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6542

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Sessions, Jeff - (R - AL) Class II

335 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4124

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Shaheen, Jeanne - (D - NH) Class II

520 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2841

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Shelby, Richard C. - (R - AL) Class III

304 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5744

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Snowe, Olympia J. - (R - ME) Class I

154 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5344

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Specter, Arlen - (D - PA) Class III

711 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4254

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Stabenow, Debbie - (D - MI) Class I

133 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4822

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Tester, Jon - (D - MT) Class I

724 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2644

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Thune, John - (R - SD) Class III

493 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2321

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Udall, Mark - (D - CO) Class II

317 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5941

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Udall, Tom - (D - NM) Class II

110 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6621

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Vitter, David - (R - LA) Class III

516 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4623

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Voinovich, George V. - (R - OH) Class III

524 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-3353

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Warner, Mark R. - (D - VA) Class II

459A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2023

Web Form: warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact



Webb, Jim - (D - VA) Class I

248 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-4024

Web Form: webb.senate.gov/contact.cfm



Whitehouse, Sheldon - (D - RI) Class I

502 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-2921

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Wicker, Roger F. - (R - MS) Class I

555 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-6253

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Wyden, Ron - (D - OR) Class III

223 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510

(202) 224-5244

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RUSSIA "DISSES" (disrespects) OBA-HUSSEIN

By Robert Coalson

When Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama met in Moscow last July, their primary aim was to push negotiations on a replacement for the expiring START nuclear-arms treaty.

The two leaders promised to deliver an agreement before the end of 2009 -- a deadline that has since lapsed amid talks that are reportedly growing ever more contentious.

Still, the presidents were able to smile and shake hands over one key "deliverable": an agreement that would allow the United States to transit lethal military cargo via Russian airspace to Afghanistan. That deal was said to mark an important uptick in bilateral cooperation on stabilizing Afghanistan, a goal that both sides emphasize is in their strategic interests.

Speaking a few days after the summit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized the grand scale of the accord, saying, "the U.S. military plans to carry out a significant number of flights, up to 4,000-and-something per year."

But six months later, that agreement has produced no significant results, despite the growing insecurity of U.S. supply lines to Afghanistan through Pakistan and the dramatic increase in the number of coalition forces deployed in the region.

The inability of the two sides to implement this seemingly straightforward agreement may illustrate the difficulty that Moscow and Washington have in separating out areas of common interest from the complex of contentious disputes that characterize bilateral relations generally.

One Flight Or Two?

U.S. Pentagon spokeswoman Almarah Belk told RFE/RL there have been just two test flights into Afghanistan under the agreement, the first of which landed at Bagram Air Base near Kabul in October.


One flight or two makes little difference.Andrew Kuchins, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the co-director of the institute's research project on the so-called Northern Distribution Network to supply Afghanistan [LINK: http://csis.org/publication/northern-distribution-network-and-afghanistan], says there were test flights in October and November.

Russian sources, including Viktor Ozerov, the chairman of the Federation Council's Defense and Security Committee, say there has only been one flight.

Whether there has been one flight or two in half a year, the figure is far below the 12 daily flights originally envisioned.

Officially, the Pentagon asserts that all needed supplies are reaching coalition troops and that Russia has never denied a request for a transit flight. The Pentagon and independent analysts emphasize that the ground transit of nonlethal cargo across Russia to Afghanistan is generally proceeding smoothly.

At The Mercy Of Kremlin Policy?

But there is more to the story of the nonimplementation of the July agreement. For one thing, the original accord was overplayed in the context of a summit where expectations had been raised by weeks of talk of "resetting" relations, but where there was actually precious little agreement, says Daniel Korski, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations:

"There was a clear desire by both parties to come out of the Moscow summit between Presidents Medvedev and Obama with some tangible, deliverable agreements," Korski says.

"Most of the agreements were incredibly contentious and complex -- such as what to do with the different military treaties, what to do with the missile-defense shield, and so on. And this agreement to provide the facility for transportation of supplies across Russian territory, in a sense, was the simplest one of all the different agreements that were discussed."

"And so it is obvious that both parties wanted it to be highlighted as a success," Korski adds, "even though it may actually take longer to figure out what goes on, and even though there may still be some reticence across the Russian military establishment."

The CSIS's Kuchins also emphasizes the political origins of the agreement, saying air transit over Russia was "not something high on [the Pentagon's] want-list," although the U.S. military is happy to have alternative supply routes. Pentagon spokeswoman Belk described the July agreement as "a redundancy system."

Julian Lindley-French, a professor of strategic studies at the University of Leiden, Netherlands, says no Western military "would ever wish to put its forces entirely at the mercy of Kremlin policy."

"We all know from past experience that the Kremlin can use whatever lever it can to try to influence Western policy and Western forces," he says, "and I cannot imagine for the life of me that Washington would want to be that vulnerable to a Kremlin veto."

A Complex Calculus

But there are increasing indications that even on the political level, this agreement was not as straightforward as Washington and Moscow indicated during the summer.

While both countries have a strategic interest in stabilizing Afghanistan, Russia seems to be treating the issue as merely part of a larger political calculus. Analyst Korski argues that Moscow sees the air-transit agreement as more beneficial to the United States than to Russia, and therefore may be seeking additional advantages.


Does Russia expect the United States to fail in Afghanistan?"I think it is in both Russia's and America's interests that Afghanistan stabilizes. And I think the Russians, to some extent, are playing a bit of a parochial game, in that they would prefer that America does not fail, but they are not doing everything they can to [help America] succeed," Korski says.

"And in some respects, this agreement is not something the Russians seem to be approaching as useful to them as well, because it will help America and the international coalition to succeed in Afghanistan. But rather, it's something they are approaching from a narrow perspective of scoring immediate points for Russia."

Russian Federation Council member Ozerov conceded in comments to RFE/RL's Russian Service that Moscow has tied implementation of the transit agreement to the broader range of contentious issues that bedeviled the July summit.

"It is big politics. And in politics, games can be played," Ozerov said. "We tell the U.S. that we'll give you military transit, and they say to us, 'give us the telemetry of your new missiles.' How can we reach an agreement with such brazenness? It's laughable.

"We say to them, since you have occupied Afghanistan, you should also fight against opium. And they say, no, this has to be done with special police forces. And we say, we're giving you military transit, but then what?"

In addition to such explicit linkages, Ozerov emphasizes Russia's pragmatic approach to the Afghanistan problem. "Today we must have a foreign policy that meets Russia's interests" he said. "Yes, at various stages we can bring our policy in line with the interests of the international community, but doing so, we must be careful that we are not deceived."

Moscow's New Consensus

Korski says Moscow is becoming "uncomfortable" with the prospect of a NATO victory in Afghanistan and, as a result, is "half-hearted" in its commitment to assisting the effort there.

Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer goes further, arguing that a "consensus" has formed in Moscow that NATO will fail in Afghanistan.

"There is, of course, undoubtedly a political subtext in what is happening. A consensus has developed in Moscow among specialists, the military, diplomats, and the political class generally that the U.S.-led coalition is losing in Afghanistan and that the current situation there is similar to what happened with the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s," Felgenhauer says.

"And if the Soviet Union collapsed, now NATO will collapse -- or it will lose, certainly. If we lost there, then the Americans will lose there. So no one is in any particular hurry to support a hopeless and losing operation."

Throughout the first year of the Obama administration, officials in both Moscow and Washington have asserted it is possible for the two countries to cooperate in areas of mutual interest, particularly nuclear arms control, combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, insuring that Iran does not acquire nuclear arms, fighting international terrorism, and so on.

But the failure over the last six months to implement the military transit agreement shows that the practice of isolating such areas of mutual interest is far from easy.

RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Danila Galperovich contributed to this report from Moscow