"Bear" service

What role does the West play in the domestic policy of our country

Exchange. What role does the West play in the domestic policy of Russia - this question was asked by The New Times

We have hung up on what is happening inside the country. Meanwhile, there is an external factor in influence on Russia - it is a collective West. And here we are faced with a paradox. On the one hand, the West, as civilization, forces Russia to perceive modern forms of self -organization. On the other hand, the West, as a political community, has turned into a factor in the legitimation of the Russian system.

Carte blanche

If we cleanse it of political correctness, the essence of Western policy against Russia is as follows: “We need Russia as a source of raw materials and a partner in solving security issues. To achieve from Russia what we need, we should not annoy the Kremlin. ” This policy is built on unbelief that Russians in the foreseeable future will be able to behave as civilized people. Meanwhile, the Western community recognized Russia as part of the West, including it in the European Council and the Eight. Closing his eyes to what is happening here, the West gives the Russian elite, which drags the country back in the 19th century, carte blanche. At the same time, in the West they do not seem to notice that the policy of “realism” in relation to Russia is every time a failure. For ten years, the Western states tried to appease the Kremlin, but they could not avoid the next confrontation with it, which worsened the Russian-Georgian war to the limit.
The main conductor of the policy “We will not annoy the Kremlin” - “Old Europe”: Germany, France, Italy. And of course, the Brussels leadership of the EU. Surprisingly: Europe, carrying out an unprecedented project to create a new community, was not able to answer the Russian challenge. The leaders of the "Old Europeans" - Schroeder, Shirak, Berlusconi - preferred the Byzantine model for building personal relations with the Kremlin. The new generation of the “Old Europeans”, who through force, like the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and who is enthusiastically, as the French leader Nicolas Sarkozy, continued this vicious tradition. Pursuing their interests, ignoring the anti -democratic trends in the Russian Federation, the leaders of the leading European countries, in fact, act as guardians of Russian sovereignty.

Support Industry

During a visit to Moscow, President Obama tried to propose a new approach to Russia, meeting with representatives of human rights organizations and the opposition, including the so -called non -playing, and thereby tried to turn to society through the head of the nomenclature. But, unlike Bill Clinton, Russia is not a priority for Obama - he has other worries. It is no accident that American officials spoke that the reboot in relations with the Kremlin was successfully completed. But reducing a reboot to a compromise in the field of national security and to increase the role of the American-Russian dialogue is just what is needed for the reproduction of the Russian system.
The West failed to develop incentives that would force Russia to move in a democratic direction. The Russian authorities outplayed him on all fronts, managing to create a whole support industry in the West. These are Western leaders who do not allow Russia to apply value criteria for Russia. These are politicians who lobby in the West Kremlin interests. The most zealous of them is Gerhard Schroeder, he is ready to gnaw the throat to anyone who allows himself to criticize Moscow. This is a Western business working in Russia and forced to play according to the rules established by the Kremlin. Finally, this is a Western intellectual community, calling for understanding to the interests of Russia, which means the interests of the Russian elite. The Kremlin policy of using the West in its interest deserves to be included in the textbook of political technology.

Appetites are growing

Having worked out to perfection, simple forms of attracting Western resources to support their policy, such as the Valdai Forum, the ruling team passed to more ambitious projects. Now she claims to participate in the development of democracy standards! It is not clear that the Russian government can bring to this part to world experience, but the collective West supported the initiative. The French and Spanish premieres and such a gurus of Western thought as Toffler, Wallerstein and Transeria, came to the forum organized with the support of the presidential administration in Yaroslavl and took part in discussion dedicated to updating the democratic model. The German Marshall Foundation and the Foundation of Liberal Strategies are organized, together with Kremlin propagandists, various kinds of events to comprehend the processes taking place in Russia. The European Council on International Relations issues an essay collection entitled “What Russia thinks”, in which most authors sets out the arguments of official power. Western liberals clearly decided to help the Kremlin in the propaganda of his theoretical achievements. In the cooperation of Western experts with Russian officialdom, there is nothing wrong. But why is the western side limited to the fact that he silently hears his interlocutors, and then spreads their views around the world? Where does the willingness to eat everything that the Kremlin offers them?

Help, not flirt

The West is, of course, not only supporters of RealPolitik or those former or current leaders of states who are fascinated by the Kremlin due to personal interests or in terms of lack of information. Western public opinion, parliaments, finally, “New Europe”, that is, yesterday’s Soviet satellites, painfully looking for a new formula for attitude to Russia. “Russia can and should reform itself, and we must help it in this,” they say those who believe that our country is not hopeless. The Swedes and Poles convinced Brussels to approve the Eastern Dimension program, which is designed to promote reforms in new independent states neighboring Russia. And if Ukraine or Belarus will succeed, this can become a serious argument in favor of updating our Fatherland. But the choir of the pragmatists-realists, singing the "reboot" and believe that the main thing is not to wake the bear in his den, while drowning out other voices. And this means that the West becomes for Russia a factor in maintaining the status quo, not transformation. And Russian liberals have to explain to their Western colleagues what this can mean - both for Russia and the West. Explain so far without hope for success.
Photo Photoexpress.ru, The New Times Studio