America's Arrogance, Russia's Defiance

They're both geographically large countries, each with their share of natural resources. Their politics are adamantly at odds, their populations long accustomed to a vastly different social, cultural standard of expectations. Russians gruffly suspicious, down-to-earth, boisterous in their continual state of inebriation. Americans given to the religious experience, cleaving to independence of spirit, callously indifferent to the rest of the world.

One the world's only super-power, (but others speedily bringing up the potential rear). The other resentful of its precipitous fall from status and struggling to pick up where it left off. Americans expect much from their leaders, bouncing from one political party to the other when their leadership invariably fails to support their ideals, the American dream of success. But they remain basically a liberal democracy, a respected political, sometimes-feared power.

Russians cleave to their vision of individual power, strength of a resolute, sometimes mysterious-seeming, often ruthless leader. They need the assurance that the kind of nationalism and respect that feeds their self-respect will be assured. Determined belligerence goes down very well. Brutalism plays well there, societal degradation is simply fact in many ways. And a political master who hied from a brutish police environment rings true.

Imagine an American president being silently complicit in the murders of reporters brave enough and foolish enough to waive their personal safety for the revelation of presidential and government corruption and brutality? In freedoms-assured America assassination teams would have to be working full-out to capture and silence the voices of all its president's critics.

In Russia, where its president signed a decree leaving his intelligence agents free to pursue internal and international assassinations as justice meted out to those considered guilty of slandering the country's president, the population is not unduly concerned. Like turtles, they pull in their heads and draw themselves into tight little unconcerned entities of unknowingness.

Russians admired their ruthless leader; he confered pride upon all Russians through his adventures in silencing, controlling, worrying and wearying their former satellites. They blossomed under his autocratic rule. Feel comfort that he remains at the head of government, with another title, same authority. All the more so in the present economic climate of trickle-down wealth.

It could have been different, perhaps it might have been if the U.S. hadn't felt so cockily arrogant about the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the penury in which the country found itself, the avuncular head-patting they received from America, and little else in the way of encouragement or practical assistance. From an initial good-fellowship accord, to the misery of re-visiting Cold War hostilities.

What else could be anticipated from a proud nation brought low? The current U.S. administration deliberately permitted opportunity for a prolonged detente to slip through its careless fingers. Consider: Condoleeza Rice, that exemplar of diplomatic action with her academic success leading to her political ascendancy - and her background in Russian studies.

Did she assess the growing distemper of the times? Did she, who purportedly knew so much about what made Russia what it is, advise her president? What an abysmal failure in temperance, tolerance and diplomatic action. Could she not foresee the response of a leader of a great country, feeling aggrieved by having a stubby finger-in-his-eye poked once too often?

That country, which could have been brought into the fold, whose rough edges could perhaps have been smoothed with sufficient exposure to civil tolerance and democratic freedoms has been allowed to regress back into brutality. Useful alliances for good in the world, trashed through a lack of foresight and intelligence.

How long will the tentative alliance between Russia and China last? Had the U.S. been more thoughtful and quietly, helpfully assertive, rather than reverting to old-world politics of separation, suspicion, denial and isolation, the opportunity might have been there to help Russia become far better than its relapse reveals.

The current problems with countries like Iran might have been attended to differently, with greater emphasis on regional co-operation, more pressure from traditional allies, securing the potential for success. Instead, now, the solitudes have returned to their former positions and the world is much the worse for it.

Too bad, much too bad.