The "Reset" & The Reshuffling
An analysis of U.S. foreign policy, the Uranium One deal, and the shifting geopolitical landscape from 2009-2014.
Deconstructing the Uranium One Deal
The Uranium One controversy illustrates how a routine corporate transaction can become a political flashpoint. By examining the timeline and regulatory process, we can separate fact from fiction and understand the deal's actual context and scale.
Corporate & Regulatory Timeline
2007
Uranium One acquires UrAsia Energy. Founder Frank Giustra divests his entire stake, years before the controversial CFIUS review.
June 2009
Russian state-owned ARMZ (Rosatom) acquires a 16.6% stake in Uranium One, not through a cash purchase but in exchange for mining interests.
June 2010
ARMZ moves to acquire a controlling 51% stake, triggering a mandatory review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS).
October 2010
CFIUS unanimously approves the transaction. No single agency objected, meaning presidential intervention was not required.
U.S. Assets in Context
While Uranium One held rights to ~20% of U.S. licensed uranium production capacity, this figure was misleading. It represented a tiny fraction of global production, and no uranium was ever exported to Russia from these sites.
The CFIUS Approval Process
Approval is a collective, consensus-based security assessment, not a unilateral decision. All nine member agencies must concur for a deal to pass without presidential review.
No objections raised by any member.
Autopsy of the U.S.-Russia "Reset"
Launched in 2009 to reverse a "dangerous drift," the "Reset" policy aimed for pragmatic cooperation on shared interests. It achieved significant early successes but ultimately collapsed under the weight of strategic disagreements, leading to a new era of confrontation.
New START Treaty
1,550
Deployed strategic warheads limit per country.
Afghan Supply Route
35,000+
U.S. troops transited via Russian airspace.
Iran Sanctions
UNSC 1929
Russia votes for stringent sanctions on Iran.
The Evolving Geopolitical Triangle
The "Reset" with Russia unfolded in parallel with the U.S. "Pivot to Asia," a strategy seen by China as a containment effort. The failure of the former and the pressure from the latter accelerated a deep Sino-Russian strategic alignment against U.S. primacy.
Intersecting Timelines (2011-2014)
| Year | U.S. Policy Action | Sino-Russian Response / Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Pivot to Asia" formally announced. Trust with Russia shattered over Libya intervention. | China & Russia upgrade to "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership." |
| 2012 | Magnitsky Act passed, targeting Russian officials. U.S. deepens engagement in SE Asia. | Putin returns, launches his own "Pivot to the East," prioritizing ties with China. |
| 2013 | U.S.-Russia confrontation over Syria deepens. U.S. challenges China's ADIZ. | Xi Jinping's first foreign trip as leader is to Moscow, signaling deep personal and strategic alignment. |
| 2014 | U.S. & EU impose sanctions on Russia for annexation of Crimea. | Russia & China sign a monumental 30-year, $400 billion "Power of Siberia" gas deal. |
Sino-Russian Economic Alignment
Western sanctions in 2014 were a catalyst, pushing Russia to finalize massive energy deals with China, cementing an economic pivot to the East and creating an alternative to Western markets.
Legacy & Consequences
While the "Reset" achieved tactical goals, its strategic failure was profound. It did not create a stable partnership but instead contributed to a more challenging geopolitical landscape, solidifying the very anti-U.S. bloc it implicitly sought to prevent.
State of U.S.-Russia Relations
A comparison of the relationship across key domains at the start of the "Reset," its peak, and its collapse reveals a dramatic deterioration. By 2014, trust had evaporated and confrontation replaced cooperation on almost every front.
- Solidified Sino-Russian Axis: An authoritarian bloc actively challenging the U.S.-led order.
- Protracted Syrian Conflict: Diplomatic deadlock led to a humanitarian catastrophe and the rise of ISIS.
- Dangerous Precedent: The 2014 annexation of Crimea set the stage for further aggression in Ukraine.