Aggressive anti-Putin sentiment is out of control. This can turn into a self-destructive pathology. That the West will receive in the future, if it is to take anti-Russian position, not looking to the future?
He can begin the journey to nowhere. Russia in the near future will not change significantly. Very closely cemented the team Putin/Medvedev will long remain in the saddle. The second cold war has not yet begun. Those who assert the beginning, I don’t know its history.
The cold war — a decades-long military confrontation in which not the last role was played by nuclear weapons. It was a struggle for influence that has swept the world. And this struggle is waged with the use of military force. Was the Cuban missile crisis, when the parties almost used nuclear weapons.
If Putin will remain for a long time, we need to behave with him politely and constructively. Russia poses no serious military threat. The amount to which the President of Donald trump has offered to increase military spending, most of the defense budget of Russia.
And ideology from Russia. When was the Communist Soviet Union, the foreign policy of Moscow was the goal — the spreading of that form of government in which lived the Marxist-Leninist state of workers and peasants. Today such a goal is missing.
Today militant antiputinist — and I refer to them Barack Obama, most of the major mass media of the Western world and the majority, but in any case not all EU leaders — believe that they are defending “liberal democratic order” headed by the United States. They believe that Russia wants to undermine it, and in their view, is the struggle of democracy against authoritarianism.
But it’s not.
As constantly authoritative notes Russia expert Gordon Hahn (Gordon Hahn), the world is full of democracies, are not part of NATO. The most important among them is India with its huge population. From new Delhi excellent relations with Russia, and India do not feel her in any danger.
And do you have the slightest feeling that India leads the vile and villainous activity on the southern flank of Russia. As the United States fought against Mexico and Vice versa, and India with Russia is not preparing for war with each other.
India does not support or encourage revolutionary seizure of power in Russia’s neighboring countries. Russia for its part has never supported Pakistan in its confrontation with India, even when Beijing was a close ally of Islamabad.
Moreover, we see that continually improving relations between new Delhi and Moscow. There is the BRICS, except where these two countries are Brazil, South Africa and China. This organization promotes the economic convergence and strengthening of friendly relations. Brazil and South Africa are democracies and in no way do not consider themselves members of the other camp.
Moscow has good relations with other Asian democracies like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. However, between Tokyo and Moscow, there some tension, because they have not yet managed to resolve a painful territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands, they inherited since the Second world war.
During Putin’s recent visit to Tokyo where he held talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the parties have made substantial progress in this matter. They agreed on joint economic activities on these Islands.
South Korea is a solid ally of the United States. However, Moscow does not raise the issue of deploying us missile defense in South Korea, which is aimed against North Korea. Recently Seoul has signed approximately 20 economic agreements with Moscow. Moreover, South Korea plans to sign a free trade agreement with the Eurasian economic Union led by Russia — that the US and the EU are not allowed to enter into Ukraine.
There is no indication that Russia intends to undermine democracy. Democracy thrives around the world: in almost all Latin American countries, most African States and in much of Asia. None of these countries complained that Russia is against the “liberal democratic order”.
They live happily with Russia (as well as authoritarian China). Why is this not can the West do?
The fact is that the West would be exactly the same good relations with Russia, if the United States under presidents bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama have subjected Russia step by step increasing pressure, expanding and breaking his solemn promise not to do it.
Understanding Russia Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush did not consider it expedient to NATO expansion. A Russophile Richard Nixon would never have done so.
Post-Soviet Russia’s policy has gone from a chaotic democracy, Boris Yeltsin, and under Putin was halfway to authoritarianism. But despite all its shortcomings, it is very far from the repressions of the Soviet era.
The West is still a long time to live with such Russia. It’s time for him to give up his paranoia and vindictiveness. It is counterproductive, and it may lead to nothing.
