BBC: Russia's ambiguous view of the West. "We have to have an enemy."

[pampango]

Bears may be powerful creatures, but this Russian variety comes across as increasingly paranoid. It sees conspiracy everywhere.

For example, after this year's Eurovision Song Contest, none other than the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, claimed that some votes for Russia's song had been "stolen" and criticised the organisers of the competition. It is a similar story in international sport: from time to time you hear complaints here that foreign judges and referees are anti-Russian. But why should that be the case?

"There are so many cynical people around the Kremlin. I don't believe that they, having their families in the West, being personally integrated into the West with their bank accounts, with their kids in London and Oxford, that they will believe this trash.

"Apparently they have to obey the rules of the game and the rule of the game is to pretend that we in Russia are living in a besieged fortress, otherwise, what is the justification for oppression? We have to have an enemy."

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22986053

Interesting to speculate on how much of Russia's xenophobia is "natural" and how much is a political tactic to facilitate the centralization of power.

[newfie11]

1. Russia sound very much like the good old USA

How many wars have we been in during the last ten years and how many have Russua been in.

I guess I would feel a little paranoid too considering our war machine mentality.