President Bush heads to Russia later this week for a summit aimed to increase cooperation between the United States and Russia, and, as one senior administration official says, put the Cold War finally to rest.

Last week, the U.S. and Russia announced a new plan to cut the number of strategic nuclear warheads they keep ready to launch by two-thirds. A week before, NATO announced plans to begin a new strategic partnership with Russia — an amazing development since NATO was originally created as an alliance that opposed the Soviet Union.

But as the friendship between the United States and Russia appears to blossom, some skeptics are concerned that America is taking too much of an upper hand in the relationship. Rather than creating a solid new partnership, the United States is merely stretching its imperialist influence into its former rival superpower.

This hour, a look at the new American-Russian friendship. Is it a solid partnership, or is it turning into a wasted opportunity?

Guests:

Anatoly Utkin, foreign policy expert at the Institute for USA-Canada Studies in Moscow

Stephen Cohen, professor of Russian studies at New York University and author of “Failed Crusade: America and the Tragedy of Post Communist Russia”

Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations

professor of international affairs at Georgetown University