In 2008, when Michael McFaul was asked to leave his perch at Stanford and join President-elect Barack Obamas national security team, he had no idea that he would find himself at the beating heart of one of todays most contentious international relationships. McFaul had been studying and visiting Russia for decades, becoming one of Americas preeminent scholars on the country during the first Putin era.

During President Obamas first term, McFaul helped craft the policy known as "Reset," which fostered unprecedented collaboration between the two countries under Dmitry Medvedevs presidency....