This strategy, born in the early days of the Cold War, has become known as the containment policy.
One might think that this policy could have been laid to rest when the decades-long standoff was no longer an issue but "the containment policy never really ended," Chausovsky noted. "Right now, the United States is very actively applying" it against Russia.
The reason for the strategy's longevity is quite simple – the geopolitical imperative at the heart of containment did not disappear 25 years ago and is here to stay. This imperative is based on an assumption that Washington has to "prevent the rise of regional hegemons with the potential to challenge the United States."
"The Euromaidan revolution of February 2014 … originated from concerns that Russia was becoming too powerful in Ukraine. … What started as the United States containing Russia politically in Ukraine by supporting the overthrow of a pro-Russia government in favor of a pro-West one has expanded to entail economic and security components of containment," Chausovsky noted in an opinion piece titled "Why the US Feels It Must Contain Russia.
The US also pursues its containment policy in other countries along Russia's Western border, as well as in the Caucasus and Central Asia by using a broad array of instruments from conducting joint war-games to offering lucrative energy projects. It is against this background that the US is increasing its military presence in Europe and NATO is holding more military drills than ever before.
"Although the US containment strategy differs widely in each country and sub-region of the former Soviet Union, the underlying principle is the same: to limit Russia's political, economic and military influence throughout its periphery," Chausovsky explained.
