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Post-Soviet Russia and the World: Guest Editor's Introduction

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has attempted to claim its place in the new, post-Soviet world. It is definitely resurging now, driven by its oil and gas industry. Currently, its goal is to re-emerge as a full-fledged superpower. Unfortunately, it seems increasingly likely that Russia has metamorphosed into an authoritarian regime instead of pursuing its transition to a fully democratic, free country. According to a recent Russian delegate to the United States (as a translator and interpreter, I often work with members of professional exchange delegations who are identified as their countries’ future leaders) who was commenting on recent events in the Caucasus, “to be respected in the world, Russia must inspire fear.” Several other members of the group echoed his statement, noting that, thanks to Vladimir Putin, they are now proud of Russia and take pride in being Russian citizens. This anecdotal evidence sheds additional light on some of the problems discussed in the articles selected for this issue of Russian Politics and Law. Alexei Gromyko (“Civilizational Guidelines in the Relationship of Russia, the European Union, and the United States”) maintains that “only bias can explain why the West describes recent