Excerpt:

Breaking the cycle of negative discourse does not mean devoting less time to criticizing Russia's failings, but it does mean reporting more about areas where cultural, economic, and political overlaps with the West already exist, so that they too can become a familiar part of our political discourse on Russia. If Russia's domestic debates were likened, say, to those that take place in any of a dozen other Western countries, I very much doubt that our perpetual foreboding about Russian democracy could be sustained. The "values gap" would eventually dissolve into manageable disagreements within the context of shared aspirations.

And I think I prefer this approach more than Ianov's or his supporter's.  You can go back and dig up and interpret history until you are blue in the face, but right now history is being made...  

This article argues that (fuggidabout what Russia wants to decide it is) the only way the West is ever going to treat Russia with respect is to see it as part of the West.  Interesting point, and there is a lot to be said in favor of bestowing on others the same kind attributes of rationalism (and isn't that lurking somewhere at the bottom of this East/West debate anyway?  Rationalism?) we hope others expect of us.  We must stop making Russia the Other.

And, and this goes back to some of the other diaries and what's really bugging me: what's more of a problem?  Putin's policies or our reaction to them?  I don't have the answer to that, but I do know that the ball is only in our court in one of these arenas.  So then we should focus more on that than pulling out our hair and screaming "Autocrat!" every time Putin does something we don't like.

Oh, there is also a nice run-through of these policies which are resulting in the hair-pulling.  I suppose it's all open to interpretation, but I'll say this Mr. Petro is doing nothing for my about-to-become-a-crush on Vladimir Putin.

But aside from my own neurotic preferences, this is actually a very good little op ed.  Wish the whole world could read it.

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire