Barack Obama has accomplished a major agreement on his trip to Russia, and it holds the potential for much better relations between the US and the Russians.
The agreement deals with nuclear arms limitations, as a renewal and improvement of the arms agreement signed during the first Bush Administration nearly twenty years ago. It calls for reduction of missiles and nuclear warheads in a legally binding way, therefore cutting down the dangers of nuclear war between the two nations, who together have the vast majority of nuclear arms.
This agreement, along with the willingness of the Russians to allow US planes and supplies to use Russian airspace to supply troops in the Afghanistan War, marks a new beginning in the relationship between the two former Cold War rivals.
It would create a much more peaceful world if the Russians and the Americans could continue to cooperate in the foreign policy challenges presented by North Korea and Iran on the issue of nuclear proliferation.