Don’t let Russia be Russia: neither provoke nor indulge

In the 1990s Russia was a mess - no longer an enemy but not even an adversary and certainly not a partner. What was feared most was a collapse that might turn Russia into something resembling the former Yugoslavia, en pire. "I don't like it when the U.S. flaunts its superiority," complained then-Russian president Boris Yeltsin. And to insist, "Russia isn't Haiti.... Russia will rise again."

Events now confirm it. Russia is back: a bully to former Soviet holdings in Europe, a challenge to the United States, and one of the self-proclaimed leaders of the alleged post-Western world.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Russian resurgence: how the Kremlin is making its presence felt across Europe http://www.europeansources.info/record/russian-resurgence-how-the-kremlin-is-making-its-presence-felt-across-europe/

ESO: Background information: Beyond Russia’s ‘Versailles syndrome’ http://www.europeansources.info/record/beyond-russias-versailles-syndrome/

ESO: Background information: The origins of Russia’s new conflict with the West http://www.europeansources.info/record/the-origins-of-russias-new-conflict-with-the-west/

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