Mar 6, 2020, 6:11 PM
Yes, Russia is poorly understood, her government misunderstood, and the Russian people (who I love very much – often more than my own) poorly understood. But this misunderstanding is a manifestation of their government and The Russian Grand Narrative under which Russia’s national mythos, while true, is a product of the second world war, and the presumption of their innocence in that war, in their advocacy of communism, in their bolshevik revolution, in the napoleonic war, and in their wars with the slavic and baltic countries. Every european country that has warred with russia had good reason. Just as russia’s conquest of the mongol empire had a good reason. Unfortunately we keep ‘ruining’ our relationship. Had europeans done ‘the right thing’ in 1992, which was a marshal plan for russia, and rapid immediate integration into nato, we would not have the discord we have today. Putin asked. We stupidly said no. And history is what it is. So, as usual, in international affairs, anglos have the best of intentions, and make the worst of decisions. The world returns to normal, and the europeans will produce a german-russian or franco-german alliance. France has always been the enemy of europe, and the russians and germans have necessary overlapping interests. So this should play out interestingly.