We don't like'm, we just envy them

[luvdovz]

How do the Russian people see the role of Russia in Europe, and do they view themselves as Europeans? That was the question in a research funded by the Friedrich Naumann foundation of Germany. It gives some idea of the Russians' attitude to the EU, and their opinion about the role of their country on the continent. The results speak of quite a

Comments

[mahnmut]

What we are seeing in Russia these days could be summarized as aggressive isolationism. It's not that Russia is trying to change its borders that much, it's that Russia is trying to change the character of its borders.

[luzribeiro]

Not to mention that the Russian society is voluntarily relinquishing its ability to discuss controversial issues - like the Ukrainian crisis for example. Or human rights. It prefers to wait for decisions from above, because it knows there are those who'd take its decisions for it. A voluntary father-knows-best kind of state, so to speak.

[dreamville_bg]

Absolutely.

[htpcl]

Putin is so popular in his country because he's presenting himself as the savior of the nation, and the contrast with his predecessor, Yeltsin the stupid drunkard who almost ruined the largest country in the world, is very obvious. Russia has stepped back to its feet under Putin, and is again calling the shots in its immediate vicinity. He has stopped the dismantling of the Russian sphere of influence, and has started rebuilding old blocs, albeit at a smaller scale

[underlankers]

Thus far, the Russian dictator's been leaping from success to success with relatively trivial difficulties in doing so. Why precisely is he to be deterred from further adventures when he can grab Crimea and make the USA blink and agree to preserve Assad? It's not like the leaders of Russia tend to give a damn about the masses they misrule any too much or even pretend to do so.

[dz]

One has to take in account

[luvdovz]

It is horribly wrong to state that Russians treat Europeans as aliens.

I don't know if it's wrong, but that's what the poll shows. Perhaps you'd like to bring the matter to the Russians.

[dz]

That's a matter of questions asked. If you ask "who you feel to be closer to you in terms of civilization, rate parts of worls", Europe/USA will be places 1/2 or 2/1. Sure.

[htpcl]

Apart from blackmailing and intimidating minor East European countries like mine into subordination via its energy supply schtick, what other source of appeal does Russia really have these days? How is Russia the bully different from America the bully on the international scene?

[dz]

I'll add some more. For (I hope) clarity

[htpcl]

I assure you the sentiment is mutual.

[dz]

C'mon. Russia did not and does not:

- start wars all around the globe. List of wars USA took part in - 41 just in this sentury. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_military_operations - Russia took part in 3 (three) and all of them were started not by us.

- make crazy things with world's economics.

- attempt to rule the world.

Actually, it's all the same. West (mostly USA) had 25 years to rule the world alone. With its (financial or traditional) weapons. It is obviuos that result is disastrous.

What Russia says is: enough.

Time to find out how to agree, not pretend that one country is so powerful that it can rule around.

That's, really, why all the war affairs of Russia. Goal is simple: to show, that this is not an instrument anymore. We can't (and do not want) to win, but we can block.

Time to agree.

Is it really crazy.

[abomvubuso]

Being a resource-based economy, I very much doubt Russia does not depend on the rest of the world anymore. Case in point: the nose-dive that the rouble has taken since OPEC decided to pump up cheap oil into the global economy, and suppress fuel prices.