1-800-SPY-ON-ME

I really hope this spy scandal dies out quickly, because the media is running out of snappy one-liner titles for their articles (see, e.g., my winner, above). (Spies like us, Economist? Really?!)

So as the resident Russia know-it-all/blowhard among my law school friends, lots of people (seriously, like, three people) have been asking my opinion on this whole brouhaha, and in my responses I've pretty much been mimicking what I've written here.

The other night, though, a friend of mine made what I thought was a very interesting statement that mirrored and reinterpreted the "rogue U.S. faction" argument that I noted in my earlier posts. Instead of reasserting that the scandal and its timing was all the work of elements in the U.S. government bent on destroying progress in U.S.-Russia relations, my friend wondered if the Obama administration hadn't intentionally used the flashy arrests as a way to reassert dominance in the relationship while still maintaining an overall positive tone in their dialogue with Moscow (perhaps even allowing the White House to make a show of not letting the spies derail progress, thereby further increasing pressure on the Russians to remain committed).

As with all Kremlinology, there's little hard evidence to back up this sort of speculation (just as there's little to support my statements). After the scandal has run its course, historians will perhaps be able to reassess current thinking on U.S.-Russia relations, though often such conclusions are based on little more than inferences and third-hand comments. But all ideas should be kept on the table when attempting to read the entrails of this mini-crisis. Respect to my friend for coming up with a really interesting interpretation.