Don't Fear the Spinach
This very nice little article from the Moscow Times (see sidebar) sums up a very stupid situation very nicely, as well as reflecting my own opinion on the issue. Yulia Latynina, my favorite Moscow Times opinion writer since Masha Gesen left, sums up pretty well both the US and Russian flaws in the issue. America is impudent, then again, that's not unusual. Russia is down right psychotic, believing it's somehow back in the Cold War when it comes to its power. And maybe it is technically, but relatively its behind, because in the past 15 years the rest of the world has moved on. Moscow may have more money than ever, but its lost most all its influence. And when it tries to flex its oil and gas powered muscles, rather than intimidating its neighbors, it irritates them.
Sadly, I don't see an end in sight for Russia in this. The country needs to realize how much it has to learn, and that, and it's no longer cock-of-the-walk. Now, US has the same problem, but seems to be handling it better. The rise of multiple nuclear powers, the formation of the EU, the emergence of India, China, and Brazil have all redrawn the power map, and the old rules don't work. The game isn't about nuclear arsenals and simply saying "It's us or the communists/capitalists." It's different, and the sooner everyone, especially russia, realize this, the better.
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