I absolutely agree. When the USSR collapsed it was already totally inoffensive since a decade.
The West should have used this opportunity to build strong ties with the new Russian Federation.
In the EU we are noticing that the entire Slavic world is really divided because the so called Visegrad countries like Poland still see Russia as a threat, having been traumatized by the Soviet regime and the Pact of Warsaw.
Since the entire Eastern Europe entered the EU they have been restlessly demonizing Russia.
Hungary, Catholic Slavs...etc...
I do believe Russia needs the West. Desperately. Because as Putin said many times, Russia is Europe. Not only culturally but also economically. Russia intends to create the same capitalistic wealth as in the European Union. And in order to do so, it needs to look towards the West (and not towards the Far East).
I agree that Russia is Europe, at least the portion of Russia west of the Ural Mountains, the traditional dividing line between Europe and Asia. Russian history is rather complicated, as are the relationships they've had between the East and the West. Europe, too, has had a complicated history.
No doubt there are countries in Eastern Europe with a righteous grudge against Russia. In fact, one thing I've noticed about Europeans is that they do tend to hold grudges - even if they might be more passive or dormant in modern times. Even if their governments are now considered allies and fully democratic and free. I can still sense a bit of resentment that lingers on and on. Maybe I'm wrong about that, or maybe it's overstated and I'm getting the wrong impression from my side of the pond.
Historically, I can appreciate that there has been a lot of bad blood between the various nations of Europe over the centuries. The U.S. has only been involved for the past hundred years or so, but European history goes back much further, long before America came on the scene.
Of course, America is definitely
not Europe, but historically and politically, we might be considered some kind of outgrowth or expansion of Europe. George Carlin once referred to America as "Europe Junior," which is a rather fitting description.
But all in all, we need to take a more practical look at the world situation, taking into consideration the larger picture, rather than selected little pictures that our leaders are obsessed with. We need to come to terms with our own past history, and we need to deal with the other countries on a rational and global level, eschewing old grudges and perceptions of "bad blood."
For example, a lot of people are worried about North Korea and the possible threat they could pose. By building closer ties with Russia and China, they might be able to gain positive control over North Korea, and reduce the threat. Maybe even a chance of North and South Korea reuniting, if we work together. Likewise, many are worried about Iran and the threat they might pose, but we might be able to work together with Russia to contain that threat. Same for the terrorism and chaos in the Middle East and Africa.
We can use our combined strength to bring about peace and order in the world. As long as we deal with each other fairly and honorably, then there's no reason we can't have a safe, orderly, prosperous, and peaceful world. To be sure, it would be far from perfect, as we'll never have a perfect world. But we can make it better than it is now.
