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====Post-Cold War Period====
During the period of Boris Yeltsin (1991-1999), the now newly created Russian state experience widespread corruption and economic weakness. Russian initially opened itself to the United States and other countries, seeking economic assistance. With privatization, corruption only increased as the so-called oligarchs and others began to take hold of Russia's major economic assets, initially at meager prices. In the United States, much of the period was seen as euphoric as it ended the Cold War, but problems in Russia required a new political change, leading to the rise of Vladimir Putin in 2000.
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Since the 1990s, the United States increasingly took unilateral actions that had begun to provoke Russia. This increased after September 1lth, with the Iraq War in 2003 and other issues becoming significant sources of dispute between the countries. Russia increasingly saw the United States as too unilateral. The expansion of NATO had also been a constant source of tension. In 2010, Obama and Medvedev did begin to mend relations, signing new treaties to limit nuclear weapons. Tensions once again increased after 2012, with the War in Syria, the Edward Snowden Affair, accusations of violations on nuclear agreements, and general increased Russian assertiveness internationally and in its immediate region being among the issues of tension. The United States also sanctioned Russia after in 2014 after Russia seized Crimea and supported a military conflict in eastern Ukraine. The sanctions targeted alleged associates of the Vladimir Putin.
During the 2016 Presidential election, Donald Trump openly asked Russia to hack Hillary Clinton. There have been several allegations that Donald Trump or his campaign conspired with Russia to hack the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign. Additionally, substantial documentary evidence has leaked that Donald Trump's company was in negotiations with the Russian government to build a Trump Tower in Moscow until August of 2016 near the end of the presidential campaign.<ref>Buzzfeed News, "Trump’s Lawyer Said There Were “No Plans” For Trump Tower Moscow. Here They Are." (January 22, 2019), https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/azeenghorayshi/here-are-the-trump-moscow-plans</ref>
Trump has denied that either he or his campaign worked with Russia or was actively seeking to get permission from Putin's government to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Rusia has also denied interfering the United States election, but the United States intelligence agencies have overwhelmingly supported the conclusion that Russia actively interfered with the 2016 election. The disagreements between the US Congress and the President have also created a schizophrenic foreign policy in regards to Russia.<ref>For a summary of the post-Cold War period, see: McFaul, Michael. 2018.<i> From Cold War to Hot Peace: The Inside Story of Russia and America</i>. London: Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books.</ref>
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