The Asia-Pacific region is of growing importance for both the United States and Russia, each of which seeks to “pivot” or “rebalance” its global commitments toward Asia. Yet the focus of U.S.-Russia relations remains on Europe and the former Soviet Union, and neither country has paid sufficient attention to the implications of their respective Asian pivots for the bilateral relationship.

The Working Group on the Future of U.S.-Russia Relations announces the publication of its third joint report: “Prospects for U.S.-Russia Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region: The United States and Russia in the Pacific Century.” Coauthored by Jeffrey Mankoff (Center for Strategic and International Studies) and Oleg Barabanov (Moscow State Institute of International Relations), the paper explains the ways in which the region’s economic growth, the rise of China, and the potential for regional conflicts in both Northeast and Southeast Asia create a landscape fraught with challenges for both Moscow and Washington.

The authors argue that while relations between the United States and Russia in the Asia-Pacific remain underdeveloped, “the region holds the potential to act as a sort of laboratory for trying out new mechanisms for bilateral and multilateral cooperation.” The study examines incentives for both countries to adopt more cooperative, less competitive relationship in the region, and asserts that “the most important reason for greater U.S.-Russia cooperation in the region is the contribution the two countries can make to addressing some of the most critical economic and security challenges facing Asia and the Pacific.”

Access the complete text of the report on our website.

Watch video of a discussion with the authors recorded July 26, 2013, in Washington DC.