Alexey Fenenko, associate professor, Faculty of World Politics, Moscow State University:

In history, when the economic status of an established power declines, its threats to the international community increase. It might adopt risky moves to maintain its international status. The United States nowadays is showing such behavior. Following the decline of its global standing, uncertainty about U.S. activity in the world arena is on the rise.

The United States worries a lot that China and Russia may form some sort of alliance which might pose a threat to the United States’ dominant role.

China and Russia have established a stra- tegic partnership based on which the two nations will coordinate their stances on major international affairs. Washington has been trying to dismantle this partnership. Against this backdrop, the timing of the U.S. attack on Syria is meant to sow discord between Beijing and Moscow by making Moscow suspicious of Beijing’s stance on the Syrian crisis. The U.S. has played similar games before.

Years ago, in an attempt to drive a wedge between the two countries, some Western think tanks spread the idea that Russia was planning to join NATO.

Due to the Syrian issue, relations between Russia and the United States are extremely strained. The two nations’ cooperation on anti-terrorism has almost halted. The two governments really need to take pragmatic steps to prevent their relationship returning to its condition during the Cold War.