As never before since the dissolution of the USSR, the very real, deep and elemental differences between the way Russia thinks and sees things, and the way the West looks at the same things and interprets them, are emerging in vivid detail. This phenomenon is most evident in the way Russia and the West perceive each other.

Let us turn to those differences in perspective which are the most basic, and from which all other differences derive as a consequence. Then we may explore their causes and offer some suggested solutions.

Global Outlook

The first and most fundamental difference in global outlook is that Russia is willing to accept differences and diversity, even extending to modes of governance and forms of government.

The world is a big place. There are lots of people who both as a nation and even as individuals are different. Their histories, traditions, and cultures are different. What works in…