It would appear that Russia has recently changed course rather dramatically and has left the U.S. looking for the proper response. In the latest example, Russia has embarked on a program to modernize the armed forces (Times Online – Russia to build missile defence shield and renew nuclear deterrence):
In a sharp escalation of military rhetoric, Mr Medvedev ordered a wholesale renovation of Russia's nuclear deterrence and told military chiefs to draw up plans to reorganise the armed forces by December.
He said that Russia must modernise its nuclear defences within eight years, including the creation of a "system of air and space defence".
The announcement puts Russia in a new arms race with the United States, which has infuriated the Kremlin by seeking to establish an anti-missile shield in eastern Europe.
Those concerned about our ability to follow the latest twists and turns of Russian foreign policy may be reassured by this piece by Dmitri Trenin, author of Getting Russia Right, in which he places Russian foreign policy in historical context and finds in these latest moves a reflection of Russian desire to chart an independent course.
