Taking off the pinko-colored glasses and seeing Russia for what it is

■"Not Another Soviet Union," by Eugene B. Rumer, Washington Post, 24 September 2004, p. A25.

Here's the first excerpt that puts recent events in perspective:

The notion that Russian democracy is dying or dead because of Putin's reform is no more accurate than the idea that Russia was ever a democracy. The bloody confrontation between Boris Yeltsin and his parliament in 1993, the patently unfair reelection campaign Yeltsin waged against his Communist opponent in 1996, and the equally skewed parliamentary election campaign of 1999 are just a few examples of Russian democracy in action that do not pass the "you know it when you see it" test.

Yes, yes. Many thought we saw both the rise and fall of Russian democracy, but so far we've seen only the economic liberation tip Russia into such an unclear and murky political environment that the people have acquiesed to the return of a strong hand in the Kremlin. Surprise? Not really. Economics tends to lead politics in terms of generating new rule sets, and that's a worldwide reality.

. . . many Russians . . . Never mistook the political system of Yeltsin's Russia for democracy. To them it was chaos. Western endorsements of Yeltsin as the democratic leader of Russia were greeted with suspicion. Western endorsements of economic changes in Russia were viewed with disbelief as the nation teetered on the brink of insolvency, while a handful of fabulously wealthy oligarchs flaunted their wealth and influence. Then Russian finances finally crashed in 1998.

Since then, as the average Russian sees it, Russia has followed its own course. Foreign advisers have left. The state has reasserted its guiding hand in strategic sectors of the economy. And the state has consolidated its control of the media. The oligarchs have been reined in. Russia's international prestige has been restored, and the country has assumed its rightful place in the firmament of global powers. All that and the economy's 7 percent annual growth rate have led many in Russia to the conclusion that the country is back on track.

The tragedy of Beslan has shattered the image of Russian stability.

Have we seen this pattern in Russian history before? Yes. Have we seen the country slip back into authoritarism? Every time. What makes this time different? Really only the lack of a traditional great power threat to tip Russia back into paranoia and retreat into the schizophrenic mix of isolationism and expansionism that has marked its centuries of history.

So what is the real danger Russia faces?

Why, that would be a great power deciding it needed to define Russia as an enemy.

And so that's the danger voiced at the end of the piece: don't demonize Russia at this point in history. Think long-term and strategic and realize the commonality of strategic interests between Russia and the rest of what I call the Core