Domestic strength, international tests

If the Russians thought that Obama was not only a weak player on the international stage, and even weaker due to his domestic troubles passing health care, they appear to have been wrong. This story, on the twists and turns that led to yesterday's announcement of a new Start treat, shows just a tough he can be.

Dmitri V. Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, said that the Kremlin thought Mr. Obama would back down out of eagerness to finish the treaty before coming international nuclear summit meetings.

“They believed Obama could be put under pressure and concessions could be extracted from him,” Mr. Trenin said. “He needed the treaty more than the Russians in the short term.”

Ultimately, Russia backed down. Mr. Medvedev called Mr. Obama on March 13, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton then traveled to Moscow. Negotiators finished drafting their separate statements on Tuesday, with Russia warning that it reserved the right to withdraw from the treaty if it deemed American missile defenses a threat, while the United States said it would build the defenses as it saw fit but was not making a target of Russia.

Similarly, Netanyahu is surprised to learn that, for the first time in a long time, a U.S. president is putting the interests of the U.S. ahead of what the government of Israel wishes.