Will Russia Join the World?

On his visit to Moscow, President Obama carried more than an olive branch. He urged Russia to join the global community, which may be more important even than healing the mess that George Bush made of Russian-American relations. From the perspective of the former Soviet Union, there have been a lot of betrayed promises in the past ten years, and Obama needed to attend to that. His theme of a fresh start was welcome news.

Yet something more basic hangs in the balance. Russia is struggling to find its collective consciousness. Aspects of the past linger in many unhealthy ways. The loss of empire stings, and Obama had to be careful to make the Russians feel like equal partners. In reality, they aren't, except in the deadly sense of possessing an enormous nuclear stockpile. They have a population of only 140 million people (less than Pakistan), that is quickly aging. Because of a drastically low birth rate, the country could dwindle to 100 million over the next twenty years, with a huge portion of the elderly.

The average Russian male has a life expectancy of 60, with alcohol being a major factor in early death. There is substandard medical care, with almost no attention to prevention and wellness. On the economic front, the Russians have failed to develop a safe, reliable system of capital. Without oil and gas, they would have almost no viable economy.

One can see why their sense of identity is struggling, trapped between the security of the old repressive system and the fragility of a newly fledged democracy. Many Russians are satisfied with an autocrat like Vladimir Putin, who seizes whole industries at will and outlaws freedom of the press. On the other hand, the isolation of the Soviet years was stifling, as evidenced by the mass migration of minority groups, particularly, Russian Jews, as soon as the borders to the West were opened.

Officially, the agenda for dealing with Russia centers on nuclear disarmament, mutual defense interests, fighting terrorism, and the like. But the real issue is intangible. Will Russia become secure enough to join the world? Old habits die hard, and in Russia's case a return to militant nationalism and isolation would be disastrous. For decades Russia has played the role of the outsider and dissenter, the country that prides itself on blocking international progress and fomenting tension.

The good news is that President Obama struck exactly the right notes for calming Russian anxiety and hostility. He agreed to negotiate on almost every sore point; he showed respect for a once-equal antagonist; he pointed the way to global initiatives. Very quickly the Russians responded with various concessions, both real and symbolic. For once, the U.S. is motivating Russia toward positive change. They are unlikely to embrace freedom, democracy, and capitalism along American models, but with any luck, the new Russian consciousness will benefit the world at large for the first time.

Published in the San Francisco Chronicle

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Comments

[tapeatsbill]

Call me idealistic but we can either get busy making peace and progress or get busy making war. Well we are already doing pretty good with that.

Russia is not perfect in its national behavior and certainly the US is not.


So do we get busy building partnerships and commerce and progress and freedoms or the opposite.
There is a lot of unfair and unwise judgement in the comments here. Most probably have merit in one way or another.

Russia US relations continue to be framed by WW2 and the cold war. Russia suffered more in WW2 than ANY other country. They probably have some national victim & inferiority complex shaping their psyche.

The US committed one of the most humane acts of all history when we executed the Marshall plan and rebuilt Europe after the war. Amazing really.

So we all have a personal choice - look to the future and support and work with one another or judge one another with a critical air of mistrust and fear.

Choose wisely for the sake of who you want to be.

[ModernTimes1]

re."They have a population of only 140 million people (less than Pakistan).'
And yet Russians produce more cultural and artistic artifacts than Pakistan by factor of roughly a million.
Most European nations struggle with effects of declining population..
Most Asian and African nations struggle with devastating effects of the overpopulation.
I'll take Europe. Any time.

[paixa3]

Deepak, I also have to ask if the USA will ever join the world?

[ModernTimes1]

That was an unworthy snark. United States is an integral part of global economy, arts and culture.

[Boyaca]

If there ever was an evil empire, the USA and capitalism are it. What world do you want the Russians to join? One that has a flawed model and in fact has already failed ( The USA and Great Britain)? Or the one with the winner's model ( Asia and China) The USA is collapsing economically and as soon as the rest of the world begins using something other than the dollar, militarily as well. Everyone is already sick of your culture. The Russians have already joined the world. That world is where they are better off, Asia.

[ModernTimes1]

"Many Russians are satisfied with an autocrat like Vladimir Putin, who seizes whole industries at will and outlaws freedom of the press."
Russians are satisfied with Putin because he kicked out the American armchair advisers who were wrecking the economy, restoring economy, restoring social services ignored by his predecessor, limiting the power of oligarchs, defeating Chechen rebels, confirming federal authority and defending Russian sovereignty.

[NicoloM]

Deepak-- some of your comments are consistent with Russian obstructionist behavior observed in the book "Sway: The Irresitible Pull of Irrational Behavior" http://www.swaybook.com/
Give a read to the section where Russian audiences at their version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire sabatoge the contestant.
The Russians have a cultural perspective, as we do, which needs to be reshaped to create the greater consciousness which will benefit all people.

[ModernTimes1]

Frankly, Americans have little to teach Russian people about " greater consciousness."

[Boyaca]

What exactly do you think the USA can teach Russians? Crooked banks, a farce for health care, a military that is out of control and invasion happy, the largest prison population in the industrialized world, the Madoffs, and all of the other crooks that run your business. About the only thing Russia can learn from the USA is how to a lot more corrupt and dysfunctional. Russians tried it your way in the 90s. They had more than enough. The sample was ample.

[ModernTimes1]

Both American and Russian people have things to teach each other.
Americans can model for Russians their innate pragmatism and can-do optimism. Russians can model for Americans a certain soulfulness and sense of community.

[noweknow]

The Russians just canceled their application to join the WTO. Is this the "Russian Way" of telling us that they want to join the world?

There's only one word to describe Russia: bleak.

[ModernTimes1]

Yes, it always snows in Russia. It could be hazardous to walk on the Red Square at night, because of the bears that wander in from the forests.

[Boyaca]

And the USA is a glowing example of free enterprise and the good life. There was a picture of a homeless settlement in San Francisco in the New York Times of the weekend. Any one want to life like Somalians in Darfor? Put a photo from a Somalian prison camp along side that photo and tell me the difference. There is none.

[joebiz]

For a person that seeks understanding among people and cultures and nations, Chopra fails to understand the dialectic at play. Russia is emerging from a dark period of history, an idealist and utopian, but no less dark and inward loking period.

Russia should and will not submit to the unilateral, unipolar superpower politics just because the US extends an "olive branch." With missiles being pointed at it from Eastern Europe (Poland); it's southern border facing radical Islamist Chechen separtists, Iranian totalitarianism, and emerging superpower China to the East; it's no surprise Russia has become more insurlar, not less. Glasnost will not come to Russia just because we ask nicely.

[LMPE]

At least Russia doesn't have Sarah Palin to embarrass them.

[exoevolution]

Russia is a sad, cold, dying country, ruled by Czars, then the insane Stalin, who basically "lobotomized" his own people by systematically killing or sending to the gulags millions & millions of the most intelligent & creative thinkers in Russia & then with WW II another 25 million Russians were killed, Russia's claim to fame was playing America's straw man during the Cold War.

Russia, like America, is a country in desperate need of a SPIRITUAL MAKEOVER!

[NicoloM]

ExoE, I agree as long as we are talking spiritual and not institutional religion--
A spiritual makeover is an endoevolution?

[Boyaca]

"Lobotomized" hmmmm. Are those the same people who put the first object into space and then the first man in space? What exactly is the USA doing these days that is so earth shattering? I mean you just lost the corner stone of your culture, Micheal Jackson died.

[gobeavs]

From the Russian submarine is realized the launch of ballistic missile - Medvedev



13.07.2009, 21.18



Sochi, on July 13. /[Spets].[­korr].[ITA­R]- TASS Svetlana [Alikina]/. The successful launch of ballistic missile is today realized from the Russian strategic submarine. The President of Russia Dmitriy Medvedev reported on this at the encounter with seamen.

“Was today realized the launch of rocket from the strategic submarine, I about this report to you”, he said.

Medvedev emphasized that “the purpose was achieved, and a drop in the parts of the rocket occurred in the planned place”.

The President not of [utochil], with what precisely rocket the discussion deals.

[gobeavs]

OK forget my last post I was wrong

[nightwind928]

Russia will do what it feels is in it's best interest. This is a country that has secluded itself politically from most of the world since 1914. It is only in the last 20 years that they have become anything resembling a democracy. They're trying to figure it all out and still retain their own Russian identity. We believe every government on the planet should mirror our idea of democracy even though we have a lot of ugly internal problems of our own with this system which are manifested daily on every major news network in the world. At times, it seems we barely have a grip on our own society yet we feel compelled to hand out sage advice to everyone else. The rest of the world sees that as arrogance. Russia is not America nor does it want to be. One thing is certain,what ever form of government transpires in the coming years will be uniquely Russian. Wether it is something that is friendly to the west or not will be largely up to us in the west to make happen. Throwing political rocks at them, everytime they make a mistake will not be the answer. Neither will judging them by our questionable standards win them over as friends.

[BartRoberts]

I have to agree with you. Moreover, if history is an accurate yard stick, the prospect of ANY vaunted new world order should make us shudder, and if by being the outsider, Russia slows the inception of something which would almost certainly become an oppresive tyranny, no matter how good the original intentions of our "best and brightest" for their beloved new world order might be, we should ultimately welcome Russia's playing the spoiler.

[gobeavs]

http://66.196.80.202/babelfish/translate_url_content?.intl=us&lp=ru_en&trurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.humanitas-international.org%2Fnewstran%2Fnewsdesk-russian.htm

How do we explain this?

[oxi]

"They are unlikely to embrace freedom, democracy, and capitalism along American models"

Why should they?

Freedom? Why is the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution under attack?

Democracy? What happened in the 2000 election? Why did the popular vote winner lose the election?

Capatalism? You mean the few control the fat majority of the wealth? How is that benefitting the economy?

[Frank Smith]

Will Russia Join the World?

Who cares? It's long past time to start prioritizing our problems here at home. Brazil is energy independent. Canada has national health care. We continue to focus on the rest of the world while our near neighbors pass us by.

[tapeatsbill]

Who cares? I care. I will say that I care also about your points of health care and energy policy. Canada and Brazil doing better than US.

Russia can do better and so can we. I care that we spend $500 Billion on defense. Russia something like $50 Billion.

$500 billion - its just too much. Making peace and forging partnerships frees money for us people. Who's economy is it anyway?