Russia's views on America

http://en.rian.ru/valdai_op/20090930/156302512.html

The article which I have chosen comes from the Russian newspaper Ria Novosti. The author argues that even now, twenty years after the end of the Cold War, "Russia’s political decisions are often made 'to spite Americans.'"

I thought this article particularly interesting because it shows us that Russia still think of themselves as 'better' than the United States. "Many people responsible . . . in Russia do not believe in the possibility of honest and practical cooperation with America." Even though doing things like trading with the US would benefit Russia more than anyone else, they still refuse to do it. The article tells us that the ruling class in Russia are "afraid" of opening up the country and it's economy because they think that if the Russian people got a chance to see how the rest of the world lives, they wouldn't want to stay the way they are now.

After reading this article, I get the impression that the author is jealous of the way things happen in the United States of America, he argues that political policies in Russia are often made purely based on "the official who holds this or that post.", whereas in America things make a lot more sense. He's convinced that large-scale cooperation between Russia and the West would be of great advantage the Russia, but it is their "foreign policy arrogance" which stops them.