This understanding is very important. Big mistake - dealing with Russians with attitude like you just beat them up and can do it again any time. Not a case. And it is not really hard to understand where this way of "cooperation" will lead both. New democratic Russia expect US to be equal partner, US expect "defeated" Russia to be on the knee.
Russia expect US not to ignore Russian concerns about anti missile defense which cover up major part of Russia, Russia expect cooperation and offer sharing Russian facilities to create global missile defense (proposed by Putin to Bush over 5 years ago). But US expect Russia to swallow talks that global missile defense impossible because Russia is not in NATO, and expect to trust informal promises that US anti missiles will not be against Russia (formal agreement was refused by US). US already promised Gorbachev same informal way that NATO will never expand - Russians remember that pretty well and not going to trust so simple any more.
I understand that USSR scare shit out of few American generations - Sputnik crisis, Cuban crisis etc... But this hypnotic fear, which many Americans still have, brings that times back for good and makes Russia from imaginary enemy to real one.
Why?
Because of competition on oil market? Common! Canadian tar sands resolve oil problem for next several hundreds years already (and Venezuela did not even started exploiting Orinoco tar sand deposits). Russia can not compete those, I bet even Arabs will not be major players on this market soon.
I see no point here. Of course making all this weapon is quite profitable for some. But I doubt it will be more profitable then selling US goods on Russian market or cooperate in Russian North shelf oil deposits. Thousands of Russian scientists and engineer already working for US High Tech. Overall US will benefit way more from being allay with Russian then few weapons producers if Russia will be turned into Evil Empire again.
Who need to make enemy out of Russia?
Russia never was good, comfortable enemy. Hundreds of years of Russian history it always fights for survival - Mongols, Crusaders, Polish, Sweden, Turkish, French, German... Result of this standing are all over history books and even easy to see on map. Why make Russia enemy especially when Russia trying very hard to be friend?
Jack referred to CNN producer who make documentary on "How US defeats USSR" - when he sad that this is all wrong producer answer was - "Who care? It is not dramatic!". It seems that most in US were ashamed with the fact that for so many years they were not able to overpower USSR and finally end it with negotiations (not victory). So they twist history to fit them more comfortable. This is just pathetic arrogance and stupidity.
Can you imagine you finally make piece with you enemy, because he finally realized that you are not a monster as he think you are and he also realized that he will not be able to overpower you. You shake hands, agreed to live in piece and support each other etc. Then some time later you found yourself sick, almost dieing from old disease. And you new "friend" stand near by you laying on the ground helpless and declare to everybody around that he defeated you, you are loser nobody should care about you any more and he is a winner and is in charge of everything from now.
You slowly get over you sickness and came back even stronger, but you "friend" keep yelling that he is winner and you are looser. He also start attempts to overpower you again. You try to reason him, but he keep yelling about you being monster to everybody, but when he talk to you it is all about he being you friend now and so you should not worry about any of his attempt to overpower you...
Hope you get the picture... Should not be too hard to see where all this is going.
