Politics like a pendulum
Russia has always had a dynamic relationship with the West. Dr. Boele sees it as a pendulum that is swinging back and forth between approaching and embracing the West and then rejecting any relationship whatsoever. This has been going on since the time when Napoleon invaded Russia, and quite literally had to retreat resulting in millions of deaths along the way.
Today, again, Russia seems continuously to be driving towards a conflict with the West under Putin’s leadership. But it has not gotten as far yet. The dancing act is being portrayed quite obviously though, the dance floor being Eastern Europe, the states that used to be under Soviet protection.
Social life: duality like day and night
Like in their approach of international politics, Russians have a clear distinction between inside and outside their house. Windows are merely seen as sources of light. Hardly ever does a Russian sit in front of it. They tend to close off their inner worlds for people from outside looking in. The doorway is quite a literal border: you don’t extend your hand across it.
Likewise, Russians are quite physical in their relationships. Men kiss each other when we would give a hand. And when we just say ‘hi’ when we see someone, a Russian always shakes hands. But as much as that initial physical contact is there, it is not done to kiss a girl goodbye after a date. Something that is almost always done in Western societies.
The Russian fabric of life
So, the duality in a Russian is felt in every aspect of life. They see the world as black and white, heaven and earth, good and bad. In their view the US is an agressor and Russia sees itself merely as defending its cultural heritage. It is often said that the American’s have never have to fight a war on its own territory, whereas Russian history is filled with wars on its soil.
It is also in that respect that they see the former Soviet states. The fall of the Soviet state is quite frustrating to them. The ‘battles’ that are being fought in the Eastern Europe a merely an extension of this.
It is also striking to see, that towards the rest of the world Putin comes over as quite strong, and confident. Apparently inside his own country he has never been too sure of his power and his approval. The overwhelming propaganda campaign for Medvedev is an example of how insecure he was about his election.
Inclusivity vs exclusivity
Does that mean Russia doesn’t know who to belong to? I don’t think so. But in order to grow, they have to balance the fine line of being part of a global community. At the same time, they have their own habits that differ as much from the West as ever. They operate from a very different set of beliefs than we are used to. When you operate from such a different paradigm, it is hard to find the community you belong to…
I think what you describe as a thinking in black and white and Russia’s ambivalent relationship with its neighbours has a lot to do with its geography.
Some countries, like England, Japan, but also the US have natural borders, the most powerful one being the sea, that separate them from foreigners. This can make them more inward-looking and keep a decentralized political system.
Russia is a true land-power, and a large one too. It borders Norway as well as Mongolia…This means that events all around the world impact the Russian border and this necessitates strong centralized power. I think this stimulates what is sometimes called Russian paranoia, or a chess player’s mentality.
Eisenstein’s movie ‘Ivan the Terrible’ greatly depicts how old this issue in Russian politics is.