Obama, America and Russia

Should Sarah Palin get her binoculars and start watching what those Russians are doing from her backyard? I think that Senator John McCain answered the question when he said that looking into Putin’s eyes, he could see three letters—“KGB.” Why is Russia returning to political, social and economic government control reminiscent of the Soviet era? The question is complicated, but it can be attributed to several trends. In the past two decades, there was a period when Russia was in a serious economic downfall. With economic instability came dissatisfaction with the administration. However, the economy was only a background force because Russians are used to living in meager economic conditions. In the past 80 years, there have not been a lot of economic improvements for the majority of the population. There is something more important to Russians—a sense of national pride.
Vladimir Putin came to power during the period of Russia’s economic revival, when oil prices were going up, boosting the Russian economy and restoring its prominence in world oil markets. Russians welcomed the Putin administration they believed that it restored confidence in the motherland by regaining the feelings of nationalism lost a decade earlier. Russians are willing to deal with the fluctuations of the market and the control by the government as long as there is a sense of pride in the country. Russian nationalism (see an interview from The Los Angeles Times with Russian nationalist Aleksander Dugin) is a potent force because it is upheld by hatred of America and its values. Russians are used to looking for a scapegoat instead of examining the social and political problems at home. Indeed, in the legendary Soviet movie The White Sun of the Desert a character expressed the sentiment of many Russians about the country’s potential and its bitter reality --“Za derzhavu obidno.”
The Republican administration may have transitioned to a Democratic one, but the Russian authority remains the same. Undoubtedly, there will be a different approach on both parts in forming the relationship between the countries. America will have to watch out for Russia’s influence on Iran and Venezuela (see an article on oil from The New York Times), and Russia will be sure to consider what America does in the Balkans. However, the goal of the relationships will not necessarily change. The more important issue is what will be the new approach? The Russian press thinks that it will be easier to work with Obama than his predecessors because the general assumption is that Obama is a “socialist.” Russian communists welcome Obama’s victory because they believe that he will be more lenient and not have the warlike mentality of the previous administration. America’s opinion of Russia, on the other hand, will not change no matter who the Russian president is.
Obama has to learn from the mistakes of his predecessors and not expect that Russia will act in a way that benefits the United States. Even if Russia will greet Obama with a rosy-cheeked peasant girl with a round loaf of bread and salt on an embroidered cloth, it does not mean that Russia is going to make any concessions.