Stent’s book provides a comprehensive and nuanced analysis of U.S.-Russian relations from the early 1990s through the Ukraine crisis and beyond. Drawing on her experience as a high-level adviser to multiple U.S. administrations, she explores the persistent challenges that have thwarted meaningful partnerships between Washington and Moscow. Stent identifies six core areas of contention—nuclear arms control, nonproliferation, the post-Soviet space, European security, the Middle East, and Russia’s domestic politics—demonstrating how each has repeatedly tested the limits of cooperation. She traces four major “resets” in the relationship, showing how each began with optimism but ended in disappointment, often due to mismatched priorities and deep-seated mistrust rooted in the Cold War.

A key strength of the book is its focus on the personal relationships between leaders—Clinton and Yeltsin, Bush and Putin, Obama and Medvedev—and how these dynamics have both helped and hindered progress. Yet, as Stent convincingly argues, the main obstacles are structural: Russia’s determination to regain great power status and be treated as an equal, and America’s tendency to underestimate Russian grievances and ambitions. The book also highlights the role of Europe as a critical third player and explores the impact of NATO expansion, the Kosovo war, and the ongoing disputes over Ukraine and Georgia. Stent’s analysis is balanced and pragmatic, advocating for engagement where possible but warning against illusions of easy partnership.